top of page
At the conclusion of every course, we ask students to provide feedback on what was effective and what needs improvement to help us re-assess our curricular designs and instructional strategies. Below are a few comments from past students:
"As a homeschooling student, these classes paired really well with my self-study for the AP Literature exam. With each course being directly focused on one piece of literature I was able to contemplate, analyze, and synthesize the content to the fullest. I enjoyed the varying work assignments that included relevant poetry analysis and the meaning of the novel/play for society at large. However, the most notable attribute that makes these classes stand out would be the teacher. Mr. Bunting, a thoughtful and adaptive teacher, truly met me where I was and worked to expand my literary focus even farther. I enjoyed the Socratic-style discussions and student-engaged classes that made for a professional yet fun college-level learning environment. 10/10. This is the best literature class I've taken yet in my six years of homeschooling."
- Liam G.
"These courses have had an immense impact on my way of thinking and knowledge in general. You delved deeply into the books and shared your thoughts with us, really enabling us to understand the books, including their deeper meanings that the authors conveyed through their characters and actions. By the end of the courses, we could see that we were better writers/analysts and could now offer our own views about the book in a way that was just plain incredible. Thank you so much for this class!"
- Dhanraj B.
"I thought that your class was informative and entertaining. I enjoyed our class discussions and arguments. I also benefited from the one-on-one editing with you during writing conferences. You made the class funny and entertaining and it was apparent that you love what you do, which is a great trait to have as a teacher."
- Christina W.
"Your courses have challenged and pushed me to think critically and analyze texts more deeply. The class discussions are thought-provoking and have helped me to think about the deeper meaning beneath the literary text. I have also benefited a lot from the one-on-one writing conferences, which provide personal constructive feedback. Overall, my writing and thinking skills have improved tremendously over the past few years.
- Solana W.
"I liked that the curriculum was so well organized without losing any right-brained thinking activities/exercises. The class had a really unique momentum because you gave us just enough information about a topic to be interested, but you made us decode meaning and value in our own minds through contemplation and discussion. You are a master at the manipulation of curiosity."
- Jack M.
"This class helped me become not only better at English, but it also helped me become a better person. The reading made me question my values and, through that, they became stronger. Our discussions led me to a greater and deeper thought process than I have experienced before. I never really liked or excelled at English before, but this class completely turned that around for me."
- Eric N.
"I really liked how we really dove into the book and learned about the history, the author, and the culture of the time period. That really helped me! I liked how everything was so organized, and I think I have become a much better writer because of all the AP drafts we did. I appreciate how you cared about us and the subject you teach!"
- Caroline C.
"This class has really been one of my favorites. Although I dislike writing, I know there will be plenty of it in my future and I'm glad I was able to improve my skills by taking this class. One of my favorite parts of the class was your teaching style. You really want everyone to succeed and it's apparent why so many kids love your classes because you know how to captivate students and make everyone feel comfortable."
- Jacy B.
"I really liked all the outside excerpts and information that you gave us to read in addition to the novel. I think they provided a lot of good ideas and a different perspective on what we were reading and discussing in class. They made the story feel more real and made me feel more connected to the story. It was also really helpful to have writing conferences with you. They definitely helped me understand what I should be focusing on to improve my essays."
- Sarah M.
"This was the best English class that I have been in during my educational career in terms of skills/knowledge learned and overall enjoyment. The AP drafts that we wrote were wonderful and I feel that my writing has improved enormously. I especially enjoyed and was grateful for the availability of individual writing conferences. I felt like they helped me take the next step in writing a good essay."
- Jake A.
"Overall, I enjoyed this class very much! I liked our ability to voice our opinions in discussions and argue our points in an organized manner. I also liked the essay prompts you gave us. I'm not the best writer, but the essays were great to think about and caused a lot of great discussions. We had so many good subjects to discuss during class that we never ran out of things to say."
- Jack H.
"I really enjoyed my experience in this English class. I learned to read closely and enjoy literature, which I really didn't before. I also feel that my writing has improved significantly and prepared me for college next year. This class really improved my knowledge in English, but also about the world. This class is definitely one of the favorite classes I have ever taken, and English is now one of my favorite subjects."
- Cassidy Z.
"I really enjoyed this class. It helped me a lot with my reading comprehension and writing. I like that you are really interactive with your students. You discuss the book the most you can in one class period, and I felt like we never had one wasted moment. You can also tell that you care about each student whole-heartedly and want them to succeed. "
- Michele M.
"I thought this class was very valuable and worth my time. I liked knowing that each day would actually be productive and meaningful. I also liked how often we wrote essays. Writing is something that we will constantly do in college, and without this class I wouldn't be as prepared for next year. I also liked how well-organized everything was and how every activity flowed into the next and had a clearly-defined goal and meaning instead of just being random."
- Jenna J.
"I'm not a big fan of English, but your class was one of my favorites. I liked how much discussion and analysis we had about the books. I liked how open you were to questions and how you seemed to enjoy going off on tangents based on different things students asked. I feel like I'm better prepared to jump into college because of this class. You helped me to think critically and get those thoughts on a page quickly and in an organized way. Even though I hate writing essays, I've learned that I'm very capable of it!"
- Amy F.
"This was a great English class. We read deep into the text to get a greater understanding of the book and the author's meaning. The excerpts with outside information were relevant and pretty entertaining and enlightening to read. I also liked your PowerPoint slides that went along with the class activities. They were always interesting and very interactive and helped us stay engaged at all times."
- Nik H.
"I thoroughly enjoyed my experience as a student in this class. I truly believe I improved my skills, specifically as a writer, because of this class. The essays weren't too stressful because we were very well prepared to write because of all the prep work we did with discussions and activities leading up to each essay. I thought it was too much writing at first, but I realized it wasn't that bad since we could pretty much prewrite the essay in the study guide if we wanted."
- Daniel S.
"Thank you for this class. You expanded my view of what literature is and the importance of it. Your lessons and discussions led to a "big picture" that let me ignore some of the trivial plot details and focus on what the author was trying to tell me. You have opened my eyes and showed me that the "classics" aren't all bad and that we can learn so much about life if we are willing to do so. Thank you for being such a great English teacher, and I do mean that."
- Parker B.
"I loved this class! It was a bit of a challenge, but I loved learning and coming to class knowing it wouldn't be a waste of time. Every activity and assignment was thought-provoking and made me think on a deeper level. I also liked that we had study guides with the AP prompts so we could share our ideas with other students and build off them before we wrote the essays."
- Sarah W.
"I really liked how you generally taught by asking us questions instead of just telling us what to think. It allowed us to talk and learn together as a class. I also liked how comfortable it was to express my opinions in this class. You let us expand on our ideas and if we went on a tangent, you would just let us run with it."
- Kolby K.
"It seems like everything we do in class is for a reason and is important. Even the small things, like freewriting our journal responses, helps us write fast and think quick, or the PowerPoint slides that help us explore our thoughts more and understand the novel better. I also like how you switch things up enough to keep it interesting, but there's also a set structure and schedule so we know what to expect."
- Emily B.
"What I enjoyed most about this class was how in depth we would go into the book and how we related the book to the real world and our lives. I also liked how you left questions open for a long time to let us think deeply about them instead of just giving us a simple answer. This class was more enjoyable than a normal English class because we discussed different subjects and went into more depth with them."
- Aydin T.
"I like how talk-oriented the class is and I feel as if we leave no stone unturned when we analyze the book. We cover most, if not everything, that one can find from a piece of literature. I also like how organized the class was, but I also liked how the flow of the class wasn't limited. If someone brought up a certain subject, you were willing to to talk about it and stray slightly from the perceived plan for the class, which was nice."
- Mason R.
"This class has been an interesting experience to say the least. This class taught me more than any other English class I have taken before. I enjoy your teaching style because it is exciting. I never get bored in this class. I like how much you include the class by asking questions for us to give our opinions and thoughts on. I also liked how you really analyzed questions that the class asked you or questions that you asked us."
- Quinn D.
"I enjoyed the class and it made me have a different outlook on reading literature and understanding people. I liked your teaching style and how everyone was involved and included in class. I also liked how it was more of an opinion class, and how you liked hearing everyone's opinion without ever telling anyone they were wrong so long as they could support their opinions with evidence from the text."
- Katie N.
"Honestly, I loved absolutely everything about this class. It kept me thinking while at the same time it did not over-stress me. The class helped me understand not only why we read literature, but why we should read world-wide literature. I looked forward to this class, unlike all my others, and for that I have to say thank you very much."
- Lauren M.
"I liked the class discussions because you made us think about subjects that I wouldn't have thought of. I also think my essay writing skills have improved greatly, and this is the only English class where I didn't dread writing an essay because I was so confident in knowing what to do. Overall, I really enjoyed this class and looked forward to it, knowing I would be challenged every day."
- Breanna K.
"The thing I really, really liked was all the writing we did. I liked how we prepared for each essay, reading the prompt together as a class and discussing it in depth. The way you taught us to write was very helpful, at least to me, and made the essays much easier. I actually enjoyed writing the essays, if you can believe that."
- Jake L.
"I learned a lot of things about essay writing in this class. I think I improved the way I write essays a ton. I came in not knowing much about them, but now I have no trouble coming up with arguments and supporting them with evidence from the text. I liked how you challenged us to think more deeply about the book and find the hidden meanings."
- Connor H.
"This was probably the best English class I have ever had. The writing we did was great because I have never had a class that required me to write so much. It helped me to improve as a writer and to become more confident in my writing. I appreciated how we were challenged to think outside the box and in an abstract way. Overall, it was a great class."
- Ben A.
"This was a good class for me, and I feel like I learned a lot. I liked how we discussed the book in depth in class. I can honestly say that this was the first time in my life that literature wasn't just stories. I now understand how to find the deeper meaning in a book and what the author is trying to say about life during that time period. I also liked how much writing we did. I've seen a big improvement in the way I write and now I can organize my thoughts in a well-constructed essay much better and faster."
- Kalinda D.
"This class has probably been my favorite English class ever. All the things that you do to help us become better writers has definitely helped me become more confident when writing essays. I also loved the class discussions and I thought you were very organized in preparing every activity. I learned a lot from your PowerPoint slides and you were always challenging us to think differently about what we were reading or discussing."
- Hannah E.
"Thank you for teaching this class. I looked forward to it every day because I knew I was learning a lot. In a day and age when there are so many teachers who seem to dislike their jobs and do not take it seriously, it was refreshing to come across a teacher who not only enjoys teaching, but also makes sure that all the time is used wisely and constructively to maximize the educational potential for each student. Every activity and assignment was well thought out and definitely worth our while."
- Carly G.
"This class provided valuable insight into what college professors will expect of me in years to come. All the AP prompts were presented in an unimposing way, and I appreciated all the time we spent preparing to write the essays. I surpassed my own expectations as a writer in this class, and I know that I have gained knowledge and skills as a literary analyst that have prepared me well for college."
- Jake C.
"This has been one of my favorite and most challenging classes. I never felt like I was a strong comprehensive reader and I had virtually no literary background prior to this class. Now I feel like I can get a piece of literature, read it, and make a solid literary analysis, something I never thought I'd be able to do. I would say that all the essays that we wrote is the reason for this because I had no choice but to adapt. I probably learned more in this class than any other I have taken, which made it very challenging yet also very rewarding."
- Dawson H.
"I think you've pretty much got this teaching thing in the bag (don't get cocky!). I have learned a lot in this class, and that's a good thing. However, even better than learning a lot is having a fun, memorable experience while doing it. That is what you have given us. You have kept it fun and interesting while we have learned a lot, and that will stay with us (by "that" I mean the memories of this class). Thank you so much for everything you have done for us."
- Sean S.
"One of my favorite things we did in this class was the amount of essays we did. I know this might sound crazy, but I honestly feel like I have become a better writer thanks to the amount we did. It was also very helpful how you offered up your own time in order to help us understand our own writing better. Overall, my favorite thing was how you pushed me to become smarter. I have always been the type to be quiet and listen, but you made that next to impossible in this class, which was really a great thing for me."
- Jaime J.
"This was a really fantastic class. Being able to learn the background of the book and author was super helpful, and all of the PowerPoints and handouts in class were very interesting. The class had a really comfortable atmosphere. I especially liked the journal discussion because it gave us an interesting perspective on the novel and really helped me discover things about myself. You should definitely keep doing those."
- Anne L.
"I would just like to say that this was my favorite class I have ever taken. I think that you are an excellent teacher and you can tell that you are passionate about your job. I liked how class was always productive, and the writing conferences were very effective and helped my writing skills improve."
- Talley T.
"This class was very thought-provoking and made me look at literature and life differently. I especially liked the essay writing and the format you provided. I now write all my essays in this format because it is clear and concise, and every paragraph serves a purpose and has meaning. Your class opened my eyes and expanded my knowledge and taught me to keep an open mind and consider different perspectives. It was also a really fun class, so thank you."
- Keanna C.
bottom of page