It is no surprise that one of my fondest high school memories comes from an English classroom…
Throughout my time in high school, I was taught by a number of fierce, passionate and formidable women who, to this day, inspire so much of me and of my teaching.
One distinct teacher, and time, stands out in particular…
My Year 10 English teacher, Mrs. K., was the epitome of sass and spunk. She dressed immaculately and had the most sophisticated whit. Her lessons always had us in equal parts hysterics, awe and sheer fear (... if we hadn’t handed in an essay on time!!)
I remember her characterising Lady Macbeth into language we could understand and nurturing in us a love of Jane Austen…. As we fawned equally over the judicious language of “Pride and Prejudice” … and the Colin Firth miniseries!!!
Most poignantly, I remember studying “The Wave” by Morton Rhue. This novel was a fictionalised account of a social experiment conducted by an American teacher named Ron Jones’. Jones’ experiment sought to explain and show students how the German population were slowly manipulated into accepting and participating in the actions of of the Nazi regime during the rise of the Third Reich.
As we read and followed along with the actions and the mindset of these characters, Mrs. K had us emulate elements of the experiment, conducting our own. From greetings, gestures, mannerisms… we immersed ourselves in the mindset of totalitarian protocol and practices. We adjusted the way we greeted each other, spoke to each other, not only inside the classroom, but outside (much to the confusion of our friends!). We slowly began to understand the power of repeated conduct, salutes and structures as a way of gaining control and manipulation.
I believe whole-heartedly that immersing ourselves in literature, culture and history is one of life’s greatest values. We are all lifelong learners. This short ‘social experiment’ was a valuable way for a few Year 10 girls to gain not only a greater intrigue and understanding of our content, but the fashioning of a new way of interpreting and understanding history.
These lessons showed me the scope of a good teacher … or any kind of communicator … is to think outside the box. You will always be respected and remembered for the heart and soul you put into your job
Passion and enthusiasm are always fashionable!
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