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| Gheorghe with a First Folio |
This summer I took a pilgrimage to what could be argued as the most formidable Shakespeare site one can visit: the Folger Shakespeare Library on Capitol Hill. The Folger organizes an intensive professional development program for teachers in conjunction with the Folger Education department. Perhaps the best way to comment on the experience is first as a teacher and then as a fan of Shakespeare. The Folger Summer Academy sessions are weeklong programs that focus on a specific play, providing teachers with resources, interactive classroom methods, lectures, and the opportunity to interact with primary texts. This year the Folger had two Summer Academies, one on Othello and the other on Hamlet.
I only half expected there was a chance I would be accepted into the Hamlet program, but I was literally jumping for joy in my classroom in April when I received the acceptance email. I teach Hamlet every year to my sophomores at Wellsville Local Schools, which some might say is “challenging” or “difficult” or “downright ridiculous - it is Shakespeare’s longest play - do you even like your students?”. It also happens to be my favorite play, and every year I strive to teach it better, teach it more efficiently, learn something new about it, experience it differently, and bring my students to a deeper level of understanding of the big questions in life.
It would be no exaggeration to say that the Folger Summer Academy was the best professional development I have ever had. At first I felt very much like the proverbial “imposter” sitting amongst teachers with various years of teaching experience, some of whom had more education than I currently have under my belt, but that was more of a Godsend than a hindrance, as we were met together to firstly improve our teaching because of our commitment to our students, and secondly, because of our love of the Bard. Sharing experiences and ideas with such a diverse cohort was extraordinary, and this often gets lost in the shuffle of everyday teaching unless one is constantly meeting new teachers.
The Folger Summer Academy also handles professional development very differently. The Folger Education department believes strongly in putting Shakespeare into the mouths of students and taking Shakespeare off his marble pedestal. This involves getting students out of seats, shouting and stressing words and phrases, cutting texts, and performing. For Folger Education it’s about close reading (buzzword!) and leaving out activities set in “the suburbs” such as building a model of The Globe. The days are intensive, yes, running from around 8 am to 8 pm, but they are full of USEFUL intensity. Sessions are run by experienced teachers who have tried and tested the methods in their classrooms and can prove that they work. The Folger Method is founded on the idea that any student of any background can experience Shakespeare and perform close reading on the text without having to cut out the Early Modern Language (read: Sparknotes versions).
I only half expected there was a chance I would be accepted into the Hamlet program, but I was literally jumping for joy in my classroom in April when I received the acceptance email. I teach Hamlet every year to my sophomores at Wellsville Local Schools, which some might say is “challenging” or “difficult” or “downright ridiculous - it is Shakespeare’s longest play - do you even like your students?”. It also happens to be my favorite play, and every year I strive to teach it better, teach it more efficiently, learn something new about it, experience it differently, and bring my students to a deeper level of understanding of the big questions in life.
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| Gheorghe with a copy of Hamlet in German |
The Folger Summer Academy also handles professional development very differently. The Folger Education department believes strongly in putting Shakespeare into the mouths of students and taking Shakespeare off his marble pedestal. This involves getting students out of seats, shouting and stressing words and phrases, cutting texts, and performing. For Folger Education it’s about close reading (buzzword!) and leaving out activities set in “the suburbs” such as building a model of The Globe. The days are intensive, yes, running from around 8 am to 8 pm, but they are full of USEFUL intensity. Sessions are run by experienced teachers who have tried and tested the methods in their classrooms and can prove that they work. The Folger Method is founded on the idea that any student of any background can experience Shakespeare and perform close reading on the text without having to cut out the Early Modern Language (read: Sparknotes versions).
Stay tuned for Part Two of Valentina Gheorghe's Folger Summer Academy Adventure!
