She devoured the words, consumed their soothing elixir. She caressed each page with her fingertips as they stirred her longings and met her deepest, darkest fears. She delighted in each small triumph and mourned over losses that seemed only a lifetime away. She invited them into herself and bared her very soul. And even though the story […]
Category: Literature
peacemakers
In times of chaos and violence, may we “pursue the things which make for peace” (Romans 14:19). May we make sacrifices, choose compassion, and love wholeheartedly. In times when everyone seems to be an “extremist” of one sort or another, may we remember the wise words of Martin Luther King Jr. in his “Letter from Birmingham Jail”… […]
how can you teach
How can you teach someone to be moved by literature? How can you teach the feeling of transcending time and space as you echo the words Thoreau wrote in a cabin in the woods over one hundred years ago? “Simplify, simplify, simplify…” How can you teach the power of words? How can you teach someone […]
where i’m from
As a teacher of English as a second language, I consistently meet students from all over the world. The question “Where are you from?” is very common in my classroom. I myself am frequently asked this question after people learn that I speak Spanish. In both of these cases, a one word answer of a country […]
on my bookshelf: finding jesus
I recently had the privilege of hearing Dr. Nabeel Qureshi share his story at my church, and I immediately knew I had to find out more. I was so excited to learn that he shared many more details in his book, Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus: A Devout Muslim Encounters Christianity, and I read it as soon as […]
on my bookshelf: torn
As with many of the good books I read, this one was recommended to me by my dad. Torn: Rescuing the Gospel from the Gays-vs.-Christians Debate is written by Justin Lee, a committed Christian and executive director of the Gay Christian Network. In this book, Lee recounts the story of his life with humor, wisdom, and humility […]
the test of literature
“The test of literature is, I suppose, whether we ourselves live more intensely for the reading of it.” //Elizabeth Drew
suspension of disbelief
“…that willing suspension of disbelief for the moment, which constitutes poetic faith…” //Samuel Taylor Coleridge I recently finished reading the Divergent trilogy. I’d like to say that I read these books to better connect with my students, but I really just enjoy reading adolescent literature for myself! If you have read this series, you can probably relate to the […]
on my bookshelf: my lucky life
Dick Van Dyke was probably the first actor I knew by name. As a kid, I watched him in Mary Poppins and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, then in Diagnosis Murder and Bye Bye Birdie, and later I discovered The Dick Van Dyke Show and obsessively watched the entire series. When his memoir came out a […]
do i dare
I recently had the opportunity to teach “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” by T. S. Eliot in my English III classes. One of my college professors really loved this poem, so I remember spending a lot of time analyzing it. At the time, I wasn’t overly impressed, but as I read it over […]