Musing Monday is hosted by Becca of Just One More Page. Pop over and read lots of interesting comments & post your own.
This week brand-new-teacher Becca asks about out school reading...
What books did you read while in school? Were there any that you particularly liked, or even hated? Did any become lifelong favourites?
HA! am feeling all nostalgic for my high school years and Mr Rule – my gorgeous English teacher in my senior years – on whom I had the biggest crush of my adolescence. Details of which books I studied with him are a bit fuzzy, high school was over 30 years ago and I was focusing on other things...that lightening smile, those dreamy eyes, that seductive intelligence ... but I do remember him taking books I hated and bringing them to life. Othello, The Tempest, The Taming of the Shrew all made sense when HE read them. I began a life-long love of Shakespeare under his tutelage.
I hated To Kill a Mockingbird (I know can you believe that!) until it was brought to life in class discussion and it has since remained my all time favourite book, re-read many times. In fact, when I think about it, I really didn’t like most of my high school books until we deconstructed them in class. 1984, Lord of the Flies, Animal Farm, Great Expectations were all turned around from hated to loved under closer examination.
The standout unsalvageable was Greene’s The Power and the Glory – never conquered the wordiness or engaged witht the subject.
There’s often one teacher in your career that makes a difference and for me it was Mr Rule. While I was convinced that I was not ‘academically minded’ (the euphemism of the day for not so bright), Mr Rule, wrote in my 6th form autograph book that once I got to English at university there’d be no stopping me. University! I kept that thought alive for over 20 years. I wish there was some way that I could tell him he was right – that I loved uni when I started as an undergrad at 41 and, just between you and me, I’d love to to share my 6.0 GPA with all the ‘well meaning’ but unobservant knockers of my childhood.
6 comments:
That is a lovely story of you and Mr. Rule. I am sure he would be thrilled, as would any teacher, to know the difference he made, the dream he kept alive.
and maybe that you thought he was rather good looking...lol
Haha great answer! Here's my link: http://thecrowdedleaf.wordpress.com/2009/11/23/musing-monday-november-23/
I liked reading your thoughts!
Mondays: Musings/Mailbox/Whereabouts
I wish I had a good looking English Teacher.
Here is mine
I wonder if I had a hot English teacher if I would have loved more of the classics too! LOL
Wow. Learning lots about you this week - interesting to know that Wendy doesn't like reading at all, just has a crush on her English teacher ;)
I know what you mean about having that one teacher who makes a difference; that one teacher who is special and encourages you to do more than you thought you could do. I'm sure he would love to hear how well you had done.
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