Why I Love Teaching

I love teaching, because I love seeing kids get excited about what I'm excited about. Today, in my freshman English classes, we acted out the trial scene from To Kill a Mockingbird. It made my day when the student playing Atticus walked into class in a full suit. Then the kid playing the court clerk walked in with a Bible for swearing in the witnesses. Fortunately, I had my camera at school, so you get the illustrated version.


Here Atticus cross-examines Bob Ewell while the jury looks on.


Bob Ewell takes the witness' oath...and then promptly breaks it!



My classroom transformed into a courtroom...


Scout, Dill, Jem, and Rev. Sykes look on from the balcony.


All in all, it was a lot of fun. At the end of the scene in 4th hour, one of my students said, "Wait, is that how the trial really ends? Do they really vote him guilty?"

We talked about empathy, walking around in the jurors' shoes, and ended up with a teachable moment about integrity.

These things - the suit, the questions, the moments to let characters walk into their lives - are why I love teaching.