There was a particularly festive atmosphere at school today. Election Day. Full moon. A human skull greeting my students at the classroom door.
I love the first day of my Hamlet unit.
After O Canada this morning, I climbed on top of a cabinet at the back of the room and, towering over my students with Yorick on my hip, recited “What a piece of work is a man …” (Act 2, Scene 2, l. 310-25).
Today we introduced Shakespeare, dug up some Hamlet trivia, and brainstormed around major themes. Students created Venn diagrams of Revenge and Justice; Murder and Execution; and Insanity and Obsession. Interesting stuff. The students seem to get really excited about this material.
It’s an annual lesson for me: my passion transfers to students. And the sobering corollary: my disinterest likewise rubs off. That’s why it’s important for me to keep things interesting for myself and to work with texts that I genuinely like.
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Photo by Kessiye
