Tangents

I love tangents in class. Yes, you heard me correctly: I love tangents in class.

Sometimes I learn more about my students in these situations than in any other, and sometimes we all learn a bit more about life than we could have done during the normal lesson.

Today while discussing the scene in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn where some townspeople exhume a body, students began asking unusual questions.

"How bad would the body be when they dig it up?"

"Is it true that the hair and nails grow when you die?" (I enjoy watching the kids' faces when myths are debunked.)

"What is left when a body is cremated?"

"How much is left after cremation?"

"Where did cremation start?"

(Oddly enough and maybe eerily enough, I just watched a program about cremation a few weeks ago on The History Channel, so I could answer many of these questions.)

This led to a discussion about why people choose burial over cremation and vice versa. Also, we discussed how (sub)urban myths begin and what a few are. Finally, we discussed how the exhumation scene could become a part of a CSI episode and how the frauds (the king and duke as the Wilks brothers) could be exposed today and how they could succeed in conning a family. All this in the final 30 minutes of class!

What a great day! The kids were engaged, they asked questions, they bounced ideas back and forth, and we all learned about one another. While we may have strayed from my intended discussion items, the kids thought critically, explored deeply, and decided to research the topic some more.

I wish I had inspired them myself, but I'll take true and honest curiosity any day.

Loving My Students

My classes were awesome this week!

American Literature: These kids have jumped right into The Crucible and explored the play wholeheartedly. They're asking the right questions and seem genuinely enthused to start each day. I think the groups I created are finally creating the collaboration I wanted to see.

College in the High School: They love The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn! It's the first time they have actively pursued the themes and nuances of the readings this year. One of kids said he really enjoyed the sonnet they wrote as well (from the perspective of a character in The Crucible), which prompted most of the kids to agree. I need to create more of these creative writing literary analysis writings.

Mythology: I have successfully turned them into the "myth geeks" I warned them they would become. At least ten kids in each class have explained how they identified mythological references in TV shows, movies, comics, and so on. I love it!

Sophomore Honors: We just finished a unit on The Chosen and Night, and the students explored both in Socratic circles for three days, and I never had to intervene. They continued the conversation with respect, introspection, curiosity, and thoughtfulness. I am so proud of them!

Books Right Now

Here are the books I'm teaching right now:

American Literature: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
American Survey: Fools Crow by James Welch
Mythology: Mythology by Edith Hamilton
Sophomore Honors: A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

We finish Twain, Welch, and Dickens this week. I just love when Carton mounts the steps to the guillotine and says, "It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known." It gets me every time, and this line hooks the kids for good. They never forget it. What a finish!

End of an Era

I have been an avid reader since I was young, and the Harry Potter series has fascinated me since its entrance into the literary world. Believe it or not, my mother purchased the first book, The Sorcerer's Stone, for me just after I began my first full-time teaching stint. She told that there was this phenomenon with some kids books, and she thought I should try them. I sped through the initial book just in time to purchase the second. I was hooked.

While I felt great about predicting the secret behind the final horcrux (I won't give anything away), I am somewhat saddened by the loss of a great series. No more secrets. No more mysteries. Stephen King always says it's not the destination which is important; it's the journey. I guess that's true in this case. The enjoyment, for me, really stemmed from the adventure, the secrets revealed, and the maturation of the characters. This bildungsroman kept me enthralled for eight years.

At midnight on Friday night I went with my wife and friend to purchase our reserved copies of The Deathly Hallows, and there I again loved seeing the students and adults dressed up as their favorite characters to purchase a book. A book, not a video game or movie. It renews my faith in the written word. There's nothing like the feel of new book in your hand, turning clean pages, and being the first to see the plot unfold in the new volume.

My favorite sight on Friday was seeing the excitement of the kids, who were waiting for others, flop right down on the floor and begin reading right away. They couldn't wait!