Wow- that covered wagon thing is AMAZING.
I am lucky to be building the courses I am teaching this year from the ground up. No one has taught them before- so we are just now in the process of adopting books for the classes (Film, and Ethnic Literature). I had the students this year help me choose the texts for the classes- because so many books we use are of absolutely no interest (and little relevance) to students who are not college bound. We're trying to adopt Carrie, The Stepford Wives, The Godfather, Big Trouble, Titus Andronicus, Morality for Beautiful Girls, Like Water For Chocolate, The Notebook (NOT great literature, but a book 100% of the senior girls love, and would read, willingly...), and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time.
Creativity is absolutely the only way to reach the seniors I teach. Many of them have not met a class that intrigued them (outside of foods, or autoshop, or art)- even though they are required to take the academic classes. We really need to offer classes that are not for the college bound, and that still educate, but without making education seem like a rotten piece of liver, that's gone fuzzy in the fridge. Just my opinion, of course. |
