April 17, 2007 issue
Can you repeat the question? Just
kidding! Teaching is a gas, especially at Eastern. The
students are great. They are attentive, appreciative and
they go the extra mile when you push them. I like cultivating
a group of students who take you for more than one class.
It's the greatest compliment, to have a student take you more than
once. You get to see their ideas and interests develop.
You develop a rapport with them and, pretty soon, you're
sharing what you are studying outside of class with them.
And they are pushing you, turning you on to what they are
reading. That is a special moment in teaching. That's when
you know that you've made the right decision for a career.
I also learn a lot from my colleagues. We share ideas, our writing,
our latest projects. They are generous and have a great
sense of humor.
Why Shakespeare? Complicated answer. Aside from just plain liking his
writing, I graduated from a program in a sub-discipline
of English literature called cultural studies. I have a
Ph.D. in literary and cultural theory. I had to pick something
that would be recognizable to English departments in order
to find work as a teacher. So, I gravitated to Shakespeare
because you can study lots of things with him: how his
work is read through time; how his work is interpreted
differently through the ages; and the literacy debates.
I feel fortunate to have a job that lets me teach what I love. I've come
to really appreciate Shakespeare's writing. I've taught
it for years and feel that, in many ways, I am just coming
to understand it. I tell my students that my class will only teach them
how to begin appreciating his work;"knowing" it may take a lifetime. His
plays are never dull. They're like living texts for me.
After reading Shakespeare, I hope my students take away a sense of accomplishment
in reading and working to understand difficult literature; a sense of
mastery and understanding of his works. He's your author, now, I tell
them. If they ever return to Shakespeare, they can see him as a familiar
friend.
