Kate Webb

Laurel Faculty Spotlight

Kate Webb, English Department Chair

Kate Webb has been at Laurel for eight years and brings 13 years of teaching experience to the table, teaching English in both Middle and Upper School. As English Department Chair, Ms. Webb ensures students across divisions learn to read, write, and think critically. “We read a variety of texts from a range of genres and classifications, and our program is designed so that students are asked to express their ideas clearly and creatively through writing, close reading, and speaking tasks,” she said.

One of our goals is for students to be equipped with the tools and language needed to hold high-level, collegial conversations about their and others’ writing.

~Kate Webb, English Department Chair

While there is some focus on textual analysis in the classroom, Laurel's English teachers also guide students in their writing of narratives, poems, fiction, and expository pieces. Feedback from teachers and peers is key to the learning process. “One of our goals is for students to be equipped with the tools and language needed to hold high-level, collegial conversations about their and others’ writing,” Ms. Webb continued.

When it comes to LCRG research, many themes are incorporated into Laurel’s English curriculum.* Ms. Webb remarked, “Teachers are not only intentional about including a variety of texts and voices into our curriculum, we are also thoughtful about how to facilitate meaningful—and sometimes uncomfortable—conversations that surface in classes. In this effort, the work coming out of LCRG has been key in Laurel’s efforts to provide students with tools for civil discourse.” English faculty also employ all parts of the learning cycle—preparation, practice, application, and reflection—in their work. Reflective work in particular allows student learning to be long-lasting and memorable; it also aligns with the LCRG-designed Ownership of Learning self-assessment tools, particularly as it relates to metacognition.

The work coming out of LCRG has been key in Laurel’s efforts to provide students with tools for civil discourse.

~Kate Webb, English Department Chair

Ms. Webb’s passion for English started at an early age when her parents (both teachers!) took her to the library every weekend and her grandparents instilled in her a love of reading. With teachers who challenged her to expand her writing with poems and narrative pieces, she ended up competing in Power of the Pen in middle school. A member of her high school Speech and Debate team, Ms. Webb competed in the United States Extemporaneous Speaking category, which required her to write 30-minute speeches on the spot. She loves passing along her love for writing to her Laurel students and takes great pride in coaching our award-winning interscholastic competitive writing team, JustWrite Ohio.

*See "Curricula & Faculty by Grade" for Literacy in Laurel School's K-Grade 2, Reading, Writing and English in Grades 3-5, English in Grades 6-8, and "Explore our Curriculum" for Grades 9-12.