English teacher makes current events central to class

Ken Sorensen, who teaches senior English primarily to advanced-placement students at Skyline High School in Mesa, has held daily current events discussions since the morning of Sept. 11, 2001.
The Republic caught up with him this week for an interview:
Question: What prompted you to start teaching "the news" in your English classes?
Answer: I begin every class every day with a news review. I began this on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001. Students were coming into my class and were confused at what was happening in their world. I started giving background on where, when, who and why. It morphed from there into a very important part of every day.
Students want to know what their world is all about, if it is presented in a way that they can identify with.
Profiling Mesa residents
Q: Today's high school students have access to so much technology. Do you find they are better informed than previous generations because of this?
A: This generation does have more access to technology. Do they use it to the best possible learning scenario? I don't think so. Many often miss the point that they are carrying the greatest dictionary/encyclopedia/thesaurus/quick review machine ever invented. Instead, they think they are carrying a phone that takes pictures and sends messages and receives messages.
Q: Can you tell us about a particularly interesting or surprising class discussion you have had recently?
A: The interesting or surprising class discussions often happen when a student that I do not expect to add depth does. This can happen when a serious attempt has been made to encourage involvement on a daily basis. Recently, we were discussing "Jabberwocky" by Lewis Carroll. The poem says: "Beware the Jabbawock, my son, the jaws that bite and the claws that catch." I asked if that line had any modern application. One student that normally does not add a lot in class raised his had and said: "Does that mean like drugs and stuff today?" I smiled inside and assured him that that was Carroll's point
Q: What made you want to become a high school English teacher?
A: I wanted to become an English teacher, even in high school. I had a pair of great teachers that did a marvelous job of inspiring me.