Mention Shakespeare in a typical high school English class and you are likely to be treated to a round of sighs and groans.
I don't blame them.
Let's face it, the quickest way to kill any possibility that a love of Shakespeare might grow in an impressionable young mind is to make the poor kid read the darn things, then write a bunch of papers and be tested on them.
If Shakespeare knew what educators were doing to his reputation, he would start spinning in his grave.
First, Shakespeare was not a novelist; he was a playwright with an emphasis on the word play.
Only people who already love Shakespeare should ever be asked to read his work, and the only way to truly fall in love with Shakespeare is to view his work as plays.
Now, many great Shakespearean instructors exist in the public school system.
I was lucky enough to have a lady who showed us every Shakespearean film she could get her hands on.
We only opened the scripts after we had seen the films, and the only thing we ever wrote were reviews of what we'd seen.
We also performed several scenes ourselves, so we could "feel his language on our tongue.
" Sadly, just as many poor Shakespearean instructors exist-instructors who insist on teaching Shakespeare's classics as if they were novels.
I am a bookworm who loves Shakespeare, and even I don't particularly enjoy just reading them.
I can't help but remember a conversation that I had with a friend of mine the years she began teaching second graders.
The gist of the conversation was this.
She was teaching young minds how to read, but she didn't really enjoy reading herself.
How does one instill passion for a topic in others when one feels no passion for the topic? Too many teachers were taught Shakespeare without passion, so they have no passion.
Sadly, the instructor who will teach your kids will largely be the luck of the draw.
So, here are a few things you can do to be sure that when it comes to Shakespeare, your kids will get the instruction they need.
One: Find out if your kids will be studying a Shakespearean play this year.
Two: Before your child studies the play in class, find a synopsis of the play on the Internet or at the library.
Either read it yourself and explain it to your kids, or have your kids read it and ask questions.
Many of the plays, especially the histories, are hard to follow unless you have some idea of what is going on.
Three: Before your child studies the play in class, find a good film of the play.
The BBC has a fine selection of all the Bard's plays.
Most of them are available at your local library.
Four: Watch the play together and don't worry if you get lost, bored, or confused.
Five: Talk about what you liked, and what you didn't understand.
Talk about what was exciting and what was boring.
Believe me, its okay to find scenes boring and confusing.
Six: If they really want to ace the class, encourage them to watch the play again, this time with book in hand.
Ask them to pause the tape after each scene and create a short scene-by-scene outline of the play in which they list the characters and briefly state what happened.
These may be the only notes your kid need when it comes to reviewing before any test.
Seven: If you can, watch the play together several times before your child begins studying the play.
You will find that the class will go easier, the grade will be higher, and their love of language will begin to grow.