Academically-gifted seventh and eighth graders can be a tough audience to win over, but Sue Harrison is up to the test. Every day is an adventure. When the class was reading Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird , Harrison planned a Southern Luncheon. Students researched old recipes, raiding their grandmothers' cookbooks for items to prepare for class. Scenes from Shakespeare are staged in full costume.
Field trips are frequent.
Harrison's grandmother taught in a one-room school. Two of her sisters are teachers. This summer her son will marry, bringing another teacher into the family as his bride. During oral presentations, the entire class would have to strain to hear her soft voice. I encouraged her, and she began to face each assignment with more and more confidence.