Teaching Romeo and Juliet to 9th graders is honestly one of my favorite things that I do. They are bubbling over with hormones and confusion and just trying to find their place in the world; they are teenagers, just like Romeo and Juliet. They start with these preconceived notions that Shakespeare is awful, but through melodramas, and acting, and viewing (and let's be honest, watching a young Leonardo DiCaprio as Romeo doesn't hurt), they actually start to appreciate the story.
Today we just started reading. We "acted" out the first scene, and already, as we talked about how Romeo was feeling (loving someone who didn't love him back), they all jumped in on that conversation. They could RELATE. To Shakespeare. This is the first glimpse that they get that something written so long ago can still matter.
In an age where many schools are focused on relevance, and making kids college and career ready, I fear that Shakespeare gets pushed aside. Romeo and Juliet isn't even in the Iowa Core. I would argue though that Shakespeare IS relevant. We can still teach these kids those skills they need to succeed, but I think Shakespeare can be the tool to get there. Some of my favorite moments of teaching happen in the real world conversations we have geared around those two crazy kids in love. Some of my favorite moments of teaching happen when I see struggling readers up front, reading those lines, and making the characters their own.
When kids leave my class, I hope they remember our Romeo and Juliet unit. I hope that they might hear Shakespeare down the road, and remember, hey, that wasn't all that bad. And if they can become better readers, writers, and communicators in the process? Even better.
And, let's not forget, during these 6 weeks it is my job to look at this face:
