[Mark McDonnell]

It was lol-worthy, Julie. At least afterwards. Never at the time.

Your news is genuinely heartening. Well done her!

[Jayne Osborn]

That's truly fantastic news, Julie, making this thread worthwhile.

Mark,
I taught Romeo and Juliet for years, though I never had a wag like that!
Heck, is it going to be on the curriculum for all eternity? I'm so glad I'm retired.

Jayne

PS. It's not that I don't like Romeo and Juliet, but the lessons and the homework get a bit ad nauseam . . .

[Terese Coe]

Saw a magnificent sunset over the Hudson River one evening, all incandescent deep pinks and whites in striated patterns, spread out for miles and miles. And several more a few days later, over the low roofs of Greenwich Village.

[Ann Drysdale]

Yes, bless you, Julie, and bless Jenn and her inspirational professor. May they make science sing and may thousands join the chorus.

Oh, Mark, I laughed too - but I understood your "never at the time". My sister rang me last night to share this. She works as a classroom assistant and has been undertaking assessments of very small children about to be admitted to the reception class. One of the "tests" is to see whether they can "listen and repeat" words to which they are unlikely to have been exposed hitherto. One of the words is "heliotrope".

One of the children listened to my sister and stared at her with a frown, obviously desperate to make sense of what he was hearing. She repeated the word slowly and clearly. He thought a little longer, then said, tentatively, "HillaryTrump?"

When we had finished drumming our heels on the floor and I had expressed my admiration for the child, we fell to speculating. After all, this was a four-year-old. In England.

[Mark McDonnell]

Oh my good God. Maybe she can see the future, Ann, and was predicting the culmination of what would be the most disturbing political romance since John Major and Edwina Currie.

Jayne - Yep, it's still there. As is Of Mice and Men. I do an excellent range of voices, I'm told. My Lennie and Curley's wife are scarily accurate. Or maybe just scary.

[Ann Drysdale]

We decided it was probably more a case of little jugs having big ears.

[Andrew Szilvasy]

Originally Posted by Mark McDonnell

Jayne - Yep, it's still there. As is Of Mice and Men.

Your Romeo and Juliet story made my day. I haven't gotten to teach it for a few years now, and I miss it. I think it's a great text for introducing Shakespeare, and I love making fun of Romeo with the students--helps give them an appropriate sense of irreverence, I hope.

As for Of Mice and Men (or really any Steinbeck in the curriculum), I'm happy to say I haven't had to teach them in a few years.

[James Brancheau]

Steinbeck's happy about that as well, I'm sure.