The goal of Buxton’s English curriculum is to create engaged readers, writers and thinkers. We want students to respond honestly and intelligently to literature, to grasp the exciting and innovative ideas that great writers put forth, to learn to analyze and interpret texts, and to translate their own ideas into powerful, thoughtful writing. All Buxton students take four years of English, during which time they read, discuss, and write continuously, always in close conjunction with their teachers and peers. They actively participate in the process of understanding and making literature, approaching great books openly and thoughtfully in the spirit of curiosity and with a will to learn. We expect that the habits of engagement that students acquire in their English classes will cross over into all aspects of their lives.

The two facets of the English program—the teaching of great literature and writing skills and the building of community within the school are meant to be overlapping and complementary. Students simultaneously engage with literature and the world in which they live.