Coffee, Donuts, Books and So Much More

Why is the smell of coffee emanating from the English III classroom? Upon entering, guests are struck by the sight of a coffeehouse, or even a bookstore, instead of a classroom. Coffee is brewing, donuts are plated, and books are carefully strewn on the tabletops.

“What better way to start the day and grab the students’ attention!” exclaims long-term substitute English teacher Mrs. Janice Curtis. “The transformation would make Starbucks and Barnes and Noble envious.”

On this particular day, Mrs. Curtis was introducing a new book, The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, to her students. Mrs. Curtis presented a brief overview of the book and encouraged the students to engage in a lively discussion by tacking a label to the back of each student. Some of the labels read magistrate and clergy while others read townsperson or outcast. The students then were to mingle amongst themselves, find those with the same label, and group together.

The outcasts had to stand alone in a corner of the room.

The purpose of the exercise was to give the students a sense of the alienation the character Hester Prynne must have felt as she had to wear the letter A around her neck and to understand, in the tiniest sense, what it was like to live in a Puritan Society.

“I think one of the greatest things I learned when I wore the isolated tag was how it made me feel,” said Nick Marsch who had to stand in a corner. “I didn’t like feeling like I didn’t fit in.”

Nick continued by saying, “Throughout the unit I learned that we should realize we are all the same in God’s eyes and it’s not our job to judge. It’s God’s job.”