Testimonials

Sample Course Evaluations

Students voluntarily and anonymously participate in a 30-question evaluation each year. Students evaluate their interactions with the instructor as well as the overall course. A Likert scale wherein 1.0 is Strongly Disagree and 5.0 is Strongly Agree is used each year to rate the instructor in the domains of the Danielson evaluation rubric. The calculated percentages for STRONGLY AGREE key performance indicators are listed below along with select student comments.

  • English 10 (remote SY ‘20-21)
    • My teacher expects us to do our best 79.2%
    • My teacher challenges me to do better 63.9%
    • I think what I am learning in this class is or will be useful 38.9%
  • English 11 (SY ‘18-19)
    • My teacher knows the subject very well and is excited to share it with us 77.6%
    • My teacher expects us to do our best 85.7%
    • I feel comfortable asking questions when I don’t understand something 73.5%
    • My teacher is appropriate in class and takes teaching seriously 75.5%

Below are select comments from students’ anonymous evaluations:

  • “I will always remember how accepting this teacher and that whole class was, it really made me feel welcome in more ways than one.”
  • “I was able to hear my other classmates’ experiences and I feel like that was something different that I never experienced before throughout my ten years or so of schooling.”
  • “I used to hate English class but once I realized that the work wasn’t just words and a bunch of reading I started liking it more and more.”
  • “I will always remember the way he would always come to us if we needed help with anything.”

Testimonials by Faculty & Students

Seaon K., Class of 2023, Course: SUPA Intro to Creative Nonfiction

Having the opportunity to be able to have Intro to creative non-fiction with Mr. Carenza has been a major blessing to my mental health and writing skills. I have always been a writer but never to the caliber of this class. Writing these essays has actually made me realize that I had to refine what I was writing and how to add substance to make it more powerful and well-rounded. From the beginning, Mr. Carenza had a very warm aura and that has stayed constant throughout my whole junior year. One thing I noticed is how open Mr. Carenza is to student expression, he allows and encourages us to implement our own nuanced voices in our writing and he pays attention to our voices so he knows when something sounds like Us and when something isn’t quite aligned with us as writers. I was never one to want to be an author despite my love for writing but when I saw the work I was producing in this class I realized maybe I would love to take my writing more seriously in the future. 

Mr. Carenza is kind, witty, understanding, supportive, and direct with his critiques but still makes us feel comfortable with what we have to say because these essays have been getting more challenging and it’s easy to get discouraged. His classroom is a true embodiment of who he is as an educator and to be honest it makes me feel more connected to him. One thing I admire is his passion for what he does, from the text we read to the documentaries we watch everything is important to him and it has a profound impact on how we respond as students. I have this class first period so my class is rarely enthusiastic but Mr. Carezna never lambasted us for that, he always jokes about it to lighten the mood. I have never written this much or this good in my life, I never cared about scenes or the little things that make a piece Until I met Mr. Carenza, he is my muse and I will forever hold this class and his teaching close to my heart.

Yero D., Class of 2023, Courses: English 10 Honors, SUPA Intro to Creative Nonfiction

Throughout the time I have spent in Matthew Carenza’s Intro To Creative nonfiction class I have had such a wonderful time being mentored and taught by a great teacher. Mr. Carenza is one of the most if not the most hard-working and helpful teachers I have had in my whole school career. I remember being so coming back into the building during remote learning and scared to take a college-level class. But He really reassured me from the first day I was in his class. Though the work was rigorous and competitive unlike I have ever seen he was there every step of the way to help me and other fellow students. He always knows how to break down our work no matter how challenging. 

Mr. Carenza always has time to make sure every one of his student’s needs is individually met. It sometimes astonishes me how he can do all that because his class sizes are not small at all, but he always pushes through. I extremely love the environment that he created. The second I walked in I knew it would be my favorite class and I was so excited to go to class every day.

Mr. Carenza’s teaching style is so unique unlike others because I have a very short attention span but I can focus on the work and what he’s saying. He’s able to make sure that his lesson is not too much of him lecturing but also not too much of us being independent which I appreciate.

All in all Mr. Carenza’s intro to nonfiction is the best class I have taken so far and I am so grateful I decided to take on the challenge. I am so glad that Mr. Carenza is my teacher and I hope he can teach me one last time before I graduate.

Jah’Naya P., Class of 2023, Courses: English 10 Honors, SUPA Intro to Creative Nonfiction

I’ve had the pleasure of having Mr.Carenza teach me for the last two years. During my first year of having him teach English 10 Honors was very intriguing. He has always set high standards for his students and is the type of teacher that always pushes the discussion to become more insightful after each student shares. Being taught by Mr.Carenza really pushes you to become a better critical thinker. I learned to believe there is always a deeper meaning and there is always a reason behind why some authors write the way that they do. Everything is intentional. But, moving up to a higher level class; Intro to Creative Nonfiction, for my junior year that was also being taught by Mr.Carenza, really pushed the standards of my work ethic. While the course is very essay and reading heavy, which could make it difficult for some students to muster the motivation to complete these assignments, I’ve found that Mr.Carenza’s hopes and standards for his students pushes me to want to complete these assignments to the best of my ability. These last two years of English class have heightened my confidence within my analytical skills. While I enjoy my class experience, Mr.Carenza introduced me to apps such as Goodreads that truly encouraged my enjoyment of non-school based reading even more. The skills he’s helping me build within the classroom also reflect in my everyday life. Truly being able to tell that you’re being taught by a teacher who loves what he does is refreshing and encouraging.