JACKSON, MS (Mississippi News Now) -
Pisgah High School English Teacher Jay Levy lost the use of his legs just three years ago, in an accident when he was a student at Ole Miss. He wasn't wearing a seat belt.
So he asks students to make a pledge at the beginning of the school year.
"I make all of them stand up, raise their right hands, pledge that they will always wear their seat belts," he says.
He also holds them to high academic standards. But he teaches the cool way.
"For example, when we're doing figurative language I let them choose famous songs, famous pop songs," he tells us.
Here's how he teaches where an antecedent goes in relation to a pronoun in a sentence.
"I always use the Beyonce song Irreplaceable. She says to the left, to the left," Levy explains with a smile. "They think it's fun, but what you're doing is actually tricking them into a higher level of thinking."
When teaching Shakespeare, Levy encourages students with the promise they can make Facebook pages for the characters when they finish the story.
"I did one of the boards on the wall, it was Mercutio," beams student Austin Smith.
"It really made us listen and pay attention more," says 11th grader Margaret Dykes, who charted high scores on the 10th grade English test, taken in May.
Levy mainly teaches literature. Another English teacher, Emily Peters, primarily teaches writing.
"Always, the best papers are things that (the students) have some sort of personal connection," she says.
Together, Peters and Levy have found a way to reach the students. On the latest round of 10th grade English SATP tests, Pisgah High School scored the highest in the state. It's a huge achievement, considering more than 50 percent of the student body qualifies for free or reduced price lunch.
And it's evidence that a fresh approach can make all the difference.
Last year was the first year for both Peters and Levy to teach 10th grade English. It was Levy's rookie year teaching.
Copyright 2012 WLBT. All rights reserved.
WLBT 3 - Fox 40
