Yesterday I had a marvelous day of teaching. It started with a splendid 9th grade class on A Tale of Two Cities, a book which, several years ago, I would never have believed 9th graders could even understand, must less cherish. Yesterday the students seemed on fire with their passion about this book. The conversation was so brisk and steady that it was all I could do to get my own voice heard. I grew more and more astonished as I realized that this great book – one that has been a beloved favorite of mine for many years – had become an important one for many of my students. (In fact, later in the day, a parent informed me that her daughter, one of my brightest students and a devoted reader, had told her that A Tale of Two Cities was her all-time favorite book. In all my years as a teacher, I’m not sure I’ve ever heard more satisfying news.) My 8th grade classes yesterday were also excellent. As usual, the students were polite and attentive, but there was an unusual intensity in their behavior, an extraordinary kind of eagerness in their faces and voices. As we discussed a chapter in To Kill a Mockingbird, hands were shooting up all around me and voices were speaking with great fervor. I felt like I was conducting an exceptional orchestra, or watching a sky full of shooting stars.
At the end of the teaching day, I was utterly exhausted, but it was the kind of exhaustion that comes from being present at a day-long breathtaking event.
No comments:
Post a Comment