A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, man, oh man, you should. I had seen the play and countless versions of the movie, but I had never read the actual book until a few months before I was to teach it to my 8th grade class. And WOW! The stage version can not possibly do justice to the ineffable description of Dickens. As I'm reading with my class, I am unable to keep from stopping the iPod (on which I have the audio track) every paragraph - or sometimes every sentence - to help them unpack the incredible imagery, beautiful language, and depth of themes and motifs.Being 13- and 14-year olds, my main goal is to give my students a great experience with a classic work of literature, so that they not only remember it fondly, but so that they also are a little more welcoming of works they get to read in the future. And, dare I say, it's going well so far! My classes are about 2 staves (chapters) behind the other English classes in the building; but, as far as I can tell, the kids (even the ones whom I can barely keep awake on normal days) are really enjoying it! They're participating in questions and answers, connecting experiences and dialog to themes, and (most importantly) laughing at my jokes and acting! :)
In short, this month-and-a-half experience with this novel in the classroom has been outstanding, and I'm thankful for the opportunity to teach such an outstandingly written book. This has renewed my educational zeal, for I am reminded why I got into this profession in the first place - my undying love for literature!
