I teach enthusiastic students who are excited to make their marks in the world. Like so many communities across the United States, we have endured economic upheaval and redefinition over the last few decades. Nonetheless, my students are resilient and eager to learn everything they can about writing, literature, rhetoric, and life. They are also eager to do good in our community and in our world. By giving students constant opportunities to do amazing things, we empower them to change anything and everything.
My Project
Nathaniel Hawthorne's novel, The Scarlet Letter, challenges students on many levels. First, Hawthorne's language requires students to slow down. Not only is the vocabulary difficult, but so too is the syntax. Hawthorne's sentences are long and ponderous, but they are also full of beauty.
Second, Hawthorne's protagonist, the enigmatic Hester Prynne, defies the Puritan paradigm of the perfect woman.
Hester's insistence on upright behavior in the wake of severe public castigation sets her apart from the other more "righteous" women of her day.
It's interesting to consider Hester in the wake of the current social upheaval including the #metoo movement and the legal actions pending against several prominent men in American society. This workshop at Bard College will consider Hester in a modern light while helping me to imagine new ways for my students to engage and understand this quintessential American text.
More than three‑quarters of students from low‑income households
Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. Learn more
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