I did it. Just don't tell any administrator, okay? I know I can trust you.
I talked about bored Gods in school.
This is the first year I have ever had upperclassmen. And I have them, by golly! One class of 13 juniors.
They are my first class in the morning. Because we are short on buses, some of them have to get picked up at 5:45. (The buses have to run multiple routes.)
So what I actually have is 13 of the sleepiest people on the planet, at 7:45 in the morning, and I'm expected to engage them.
Trouble is, the junior curriculum for my district is ridiculous. I can't see how it would engage them to spend 8 weeks on Fahrenheit 451, when half of them would gladly burn every book in the room.
In these cases I always fall back on Antigone, by Sophocles.
Have you read it? It's about a brave young woman who defies the decree of a dictator to bury her brother, because the laws of the Gods are more important than the laws of men. Of course she pays for it with her life, but damn. Girl has some spine.
I like teaching something where the female lead is badass.
Antigone is not in the curriculum. But I feel like if some admin wanders in, I can say, "Oh yes, I'm teaching Sophocles," and that will be acceptable.
Oh, and if you haven't come across this 2,200+ year-old wonder, it's short! Two quick acts, and everyone dies in the end. Appreciate that, because it takes Shakespeare five acts to slaughter his casts.
But ah, there's a rub.
When the title character, Antigone, talks about following the laws of God, she's not talking about Yahweh. She's talking about Zeus. And as you can imagine, I make that crystal clear from the get-go.
So today, as I looked out over 13 sets of glazed eyes, I asked: "Emmm... people really worshiped Zeus. Those people would be offended if you called Zeus a 'myth.' And in the Bible, God says, 'You shall have no other gods but Me. Clearly implying that there are other Gods. So, students ... sit up ... open your eyes ... Where is Zeus now?"
This opened up a semi-lively discussion, which included (in no particular order) the fact that Africans brought into slavery were forced to be Christians when they had their own Gods, the fact that some people who worship Thor are racists, and the fact that we don't know much about the majority of our planet; namely, the part that's under water.
Wow! A philosophical discussion at my school, at 8:00 in the morning!
One student said he thinks Zeus is satisfied with His status with us moderns, because at least we know who He is. Which made me ask the students, "What happens to Gods whose names are forgotten?"
No one had an answer for that. But I'll bet they think about it after the basketball scrimmage. Well, maybe not.
First time my day job and my blog have intersected. It was fun.
6 comments:
Wonderful! I read Sophocles' "Antigone" when I was in high school. I preferred his "Oedipus Rex." I should reread both now with the benefit of a lifetime of adult experience.
I bet Zeus is preening a little today, thanks to your efforts on his behalf!
What a lively discussion to get the day started,
Kudos to you for getting that done!
Excellent teaching - discussing - engaging! There should be more like you.
Good for you for succeeding in turning those brains on for a minute. Though the biggest lesson about the gods is never invoke them because you'll rarely be happy with the result.
What a rare occurrence! It's crazy to schedule teenagers for such early class times. They would learn much more if classes didn't get going until after 9 or 10am.
I read part of a series called the Iron Druid. There are gods from many pantheons in the stories. In one of the books, the druid meets Jesus walking down the street. Someone asks why he is so faint and almost insubstantial and the druid replies that it's because Jesus' followers are so confused and unsure about his existence that they can't quite keep him corporeal. Or something like that. It was an interesting explanation.
damn I wish I could be in that class
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