What a sad and bittersweet week this has been. We lost our 'Guybrarian," the "Abbassinator," Mr. Abbasse. We also kicked off the Reader's Workshop portion of our Teaching the Canon unit, which I so expected Mr. Abbasse to be part of. Just last week he stopped in my class as we were reading Othello, and he later shared with me his thoughts on teaching Shakespeare. I will always appreciate his dedication, insight, and sharing of a love of literature, and we will miss him dearly.
My saving grace has been this Reader's Workshop unit, where students are reading their book of choice and meet with me individually to discuss their readings. Some of my students are reading John Green novels, and many don't realize that the title of his book, The Fault in our Stars, is an allusion to a line from Shakespeare's Julius Caesar. Students have learned to recognize this literary device and to search for deeper meaning in their books. Watching these students as they develop their love of reading has been a gift for me these past few days.
Salaam
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