lesson plan
Today I once again teach Cheryl Strayed's essay "The Love of My Life." The last time I taught it in my two sections of the course, things didn't work out so well. But every single time I read this essay, I see new things in it. New patterns. New meaning. Instead of going into class this morning with the assumption that everyone will have loved it, I'm going in with the goal of helping students articulate what this essay does. If they loved it, great. If not, I hope I can help them see some of its power.
This instead of deciding not to teach it anymore.
Someone once told a dissertator during her defense to "never teach your favorite things." But I can't not teach my favorite things. Isn't that why we're in this business? Because we love what we love and we want to share that love with students?
Labels: teaching
posted by aerobil @ 5:52 AM
2 comments
2 Comments:
And because of you, I've now taught it twice. The first-years were taken aback but talked more than before and referenced it throughout the semester. The second group of advanced students had many who loved it and many who challenged it and a couple who used it as inspiration for their own final projects. So I'm glad you teach it so I could learn about it!
I taught it last week for the first time. One student made a very astute observation--she said that while she loved the essay, she would hate to meet Strayed in real life, much as she would hate to meet any of the characters in Miranda July's short story collection, No One Belongs Here More Than You.
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