the jerry springerization of greek mythology

background music : song for the dumped by ben fold's five



i'm one big mythology fan. love love love it. i can go on and on for hours just talking about why i like reading and teaching it.

my students also observed that i am "nicer" and "more fun" when i teach a unit on mythology.

i have three classes -- three different levels. the first one is the most motivated . the second class is more difficult to motivate, but workable. and the third one, my smallest class (7 students) is a challenge.

this class hates anything that has something to do with work. they are not dumb kids, they just learn differently. i had 6 of the 7 when they were in 6th grade, and those 6 were quite the troublemakers in class. they act up when they get frustrated. and they get frustrated easily.


well, challenge schmallenge. i'll do what it takes to make them at least like mythology. i'd even buy that stupid grass skirt in party city just to get a laugh out of it. heck i dyed my hair pink once and that got my students' attention for a good month.

anyway, i tried to make the stories more "relevant" to them. instead of making them read the chapters silently, i gathered them around and read and rephrased the text for them. i felt it working.


fast forward to the greek creation myths, and zeus and his philandering ways -- the class went wild. here is what the discussion sounded like


b : dang! those gods are crazy!
h : zeus marrying his sister, that's nasty man! that's jerry springer right there!
me : wait 'til you hear about zeus' girlfriends
o : how many has he got?
me : a lot
s : more than hugh hefner?
me : hugh hefner's an amateur
b : dang ms. a, pardon my french, but that zeus is a manwhore!!!

i laughed out so loud, i almost fell off my seat.

h : if i was zeus i'd get me a paternity test, man. you don't know what these bitches be sayin, oops, my bad ms. a, didn't mean to use that language in front of you.

me : it's okay, just try not to say it again. oh they did have some sort of paternity testing then, hera would know if the demigod is a son of zeus



the bell rings and for the first time i was met with groans and complaints instead of "woo-hoo!"

b approaches me on her way out and says, "you alright, ms. a, i think i just might enjoy your class and them crazy gods. all you had to do is bring it down a bit, and we cool."


that made my day.

thanks jerry springer, i think i may just teach these kids something.