"People get better at using language when they use it to say things they really want to say to people they really want to say them to, in a context in which they can express themselves freely and honestly." --John Holt, author of How Children Fail
The mission of the Northside Independent School District, a dynamic, growing, culturally diverse public educational system committed to the belief that children come first, is to encourage each student to strive for personal excellence and to ensure that all students develop intellectually, and learn to function, contribute and compete as responsible individuals in an ever-changing world, to be accomplished through challenging learning experiences provided by superior educators in partnership with parents and the community in a climate of cooperation and mutual respect.
The secondary language arts program of the Northside Independent School District embraces the district’s mission by ensuring intellectual challenge for all students through an integrated curriculum rich with opportunities for students to grow as critical thinkers, writers, readers, speakers, listeners, and viewers. Students develop into lifelong learners when they see reading and writing as effective tools for understanding information, themselves, and others. They develop into writers when they gain command of the language and impact others with their thoughts and experiences. They become readers when they appreciate, enjoy, and respond to the written works of others. They become responsible, contributing citizens when they blend all of these to benefit society.