Bring Out Your Dead: Recreating the Black Death in the Classroom
A teacher by trade, Bruce David Janu is known for his unique approach to education, often using the skills that he acquired through a background in theatre production. He often dresses up in costume and can be sometimes heard singing songs he wrote about various historical events and people. In 1992, he gained a short-lived notoriety with his Frank Sinatra Detention Club. An avid Frank Sinatra fan, he created a unique way of making after-school detentions more enjoyable for himself: 30 minutes of Sinatra music. Even today, Janu puts extra credit Sinatra questions on every test. In 1999, he began an educational supply company to highlight many of the creative lesson plans he has used in class, includingThe Constitution: A Cooperative Learning Approach,Bring Out Your Dead: Recreating the Black Death in the ClassroomandMouldering in the Grave: a Dramatic Approach to Teaching about John BrownSeveral educational videos followed and soon Janu was producing videos professionally, both in the educational field and for corporate and wedding clientele.In addition, Janu has completed two documentaries, the award-winningFacing Sudanand a short entitled,Crayons and Paper.Bruce David Janu teaches history, sociology and literature at John Hersey High School in Chicago s northwest suburbs.