Adjuncting in Graduate School: Money Stress, Meaningful Teaching

Let's get teaching!

In the following post, I write about my time as an adjunct professor. The title might sound abrupt and professional, but the reality of adjunct teaching is much less polished: you’re paid by the hour, which usually means you’re paid only for the hours your classes meet each semester. It kept me afloat, but it also made finances feel precarious.

I became an adjunct out of necessity while I was in graduate school in New York City. Between tuition, rent, and basic living expenses, my scholarship and support weren’t enough. I needed side income—plain and simple. But looking back, that time ended up being more rewarding than I expected. It wasn’t just about getting by; it became a formative stretch that taught me how to communicate academic ideas to students whose lives and goals weren’t necessarily built around the humanities.

My own educational background was classic liberal arts: humanities, philosophy, the kind of learning you pursue because you love it, surrounded by teachers and classmates who felt the same. Adjunct teaching was different. Many of my students were pursuing concrete credentials—health-related programs, business tracks, accounting certificates. They didn’t come to class thinking, How can philosophy change my life? They came thinking, How can I finish this requirement, get the degree, and improve my situation? That difference mattered. It forced me to ask a hard, useful question: How do you teach ethics, philosophy, epistemology—material that can feel “extra”—to people who are rightly focused on work, family, and survival?

A lot of my students were adults—some older than me—returning to school to earn a certification or an associate’s degree so they could get a promotion, switch careers, or rebuild momentum. Many of them also carried bruises from earlier schooling. You could feel it: skepticism, anxiety, a kind of guardedness around classrooms and teachers. Navigating that—respectfully, patiently, without condescension—became one of the defining challenges of the job.

And then there was the student body itself. Teaching in New York City introduced me to a level of heterogeneity I hadn’t experienced before: students from Eastern Europe, South Asia, China, and a wide range of Black and brown New Yorkers—many of them immigrants or children of immigrants—sitting in the same classroom, bringing different histories, languages, and relationships to school itself.

That contrast made me look back at my own education with new eyes. I grew up in Louisiana in a lower-middle-class family. We weren’t wealthy, but my parents worked full time, we had stability, and we owned our home. I also had grants and scholarships that opened doors. And yet, when I think back, my schooling was overwhelmingly white. In secondary school, I had one teacher who wasn’t white—Ms. Washington—and in college and graduate school I remember very few Black classmates, and no Black professors that I can recall. I’m not saying that for dramatic effect; I’m saying it because it’s clarifying. It points to something structural—how segregation and opportunity still shape who ends up where in the United States.

That’s part of why “diversity initiatives” matter now. They’re trying to correct a longstanding absence, not merely add a decorative layer of representation. But the work is hard because it challenges established norms—who gets access, who gets supported, who belongs in the room.

My time adjuncting in New York City gave me a lived perspective on all of this. It showed me what a truly mixed classroom can look like—and it also showed me how much effort it takes, institutionally and culturally, to make that kind of classroom feel normal everywhere.

Story Time: Emotional Support Pickles and Chickens in the Classroom

What if classroom management didn’t start with charts and systems — but with something soft, weird, and surprisingly effective? Meet the emotional-support pickle: a small, sensory tool that helps students reset, refocus, and get back to learning. Sometimes the simplest solutions really do work.

You can purchase emotional-support pickles online—just search for “emotional support pickles” and “plushy”.

For my school's Secret Elf gift exchange (everyone buys a gift for a “secret” person), I received these ridiculous plush emotional-support pickles and chickens. They were gifted to me, by lot, from the sweek school office lady, "Ms. Lia". They’re oddly perfect for managing the emotional weather of a high-strung middle and high school classroom. I love my school, but some days I just need to hug my emotional-support pickles.

Everyone’s out here talking about fancy classroom-management systems and color-coded behavior charts and the newest acronym-of-the-week. And I’m like: listen. Get some emotional-support pickles. Put them in your classroom. Especially if you teach sixth or seventh grade like I do.

Kids love sensory stuff. They love something tangible. And if a plush pickle helps a kid settle their nervous system and get back to learning, then fine. Call it “emotional regulation.” I call it: the pickle works.

First, you’ll have your Velcro students—the ones who will attach themselves to that pickle like it’s a life raft. They will want it all day. Forever. In perpetuity.

Second, you’ll have… let’s call them the tiny chaos scientists. One or two. The ones who look at an emotional-support chicken and think, What if I took this apart and learned what’s inside?

So yes: you are the therapist in this situation. You are also the bodyguard. You have to protect the emotional-support pickle at all costs.

Note: I don’t make any profit from the sale of these plushies. This post is simply based on my own experience.

And honestly, you can substitute any school-appropriate plushy toy and get the same effect: an axolotl, reindeer, oyster—whatever works for your kids.

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3 Things I Love About Teaching ❤️📚

Hey, y’all. I know social media is full of teachers talking about how tough this job is (and honestly … they’re not wrong). But today I’m flipping the script. Here are three things that make teaching amazing for me:

1. I’m a celebrity.
Only at school, but still! Nothing beats leaving the building, turning a corner, and hearing, “Hey, Roselli!” from the same kids I was just trying to convince to take notes. I’ll take my hallway fame, thank you very much.

2. Kids' writing blows me away.
As an ELA teacher, I get to watch kids put their hearts on the page. My 7th graders are writing about A Long Walk to Water right now, connecting the story to compassion, responsibility, and the suffering of others. Sometimes their insights stop me in my tracks. They’re that good.

3. The beautiful mirror effect.
I’m older, I’ve got more mileage as a reader and thinker—but then I see students making connections, asking questions, and showing a spark that reminds me of my younger self. Sometimes they’re even sharper than I ever was. Watching their potential unfold is the best part of this job.

Sure, teaching is hard. But these moments? They’re why I stay.

(And yes, I’m rocking my Janus shirt. You can grab one on my store 😉)

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Crazy English — Why English is so Hard to Learn

Why English Is So Hard to Learn

The following excerpt (often attributed to Richard Lederer’s Crazy English [1989]) highlights the delightful absurdities of the English language.

A Few Reasons Why English Confuses Learners

1. The bandage was wound around the wound.

2. The farm was used to produce produce.

3. The dump was so full that it had to refuse more refuse.

4. They were too close to the door to close it.

5. He could lead if he would get the lead out.

6. The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert.

7. Since there is no time like the present, he thought it was time to present the present.

8. A bass was painted on the head of the bass drum.

9. When shot at, the dove dove into the bushes.

10. I did not object to the object.

11. The insurance was invalid for the invalid.

12. There was a row among the oarsmen about how to row.

13. Don’t forget, we must polish the Polish furniture.

14. The buck does funny things when there are does present.

15. A seamstress and a sewer fell down the sewer line.

16. To help with planting, the farmer taught his sow to sow.

17. The wind was too strong to wind the sail.

18. After a number of injections, my jaw got number.

19. Upon seeing a tear in the painting, I shed a tear.

20. I had to subject the subject to a series of tests.

21. How can I intimate this to my most intimate friends?

22. We park on a driveway and drive on a parkway.

The Paradoxes of English

• There is no egg in eggplant and no ham in hamburger; neither apple nor pine in pineapple.

• English muffins weren’t invented in England, nor were French fries in France.

• Quicksand can work slowly, boxing rings are square, and a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor a pig.

• Writers write, but fingers don’t fing, grocers don’t groce, and hammers don’t ham.

Plural forms also play tricks: one goose, two geese—but one moose, two moose. One index, two indices.

You can make amends, but never just one amend.

The Madness Continues

In what other language do people:

• Recite at a play and play at a recital?

• Ship goods by truck and send cargo by ship?

• Have noses that run and feet that smell?

How can a slim chance and a fat chance mean the same thing, while a wise man and a wise guy are opposites?

English is full of contradictions: your house can burn up while it burns down; you fill in a form by filling it out; and an alarm goes off by going on.

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Wax Tablets & Ramen Dreams: Horace’s Hustle Through School in Ancient Rome

Horace

In this post, I trace Horace’s wax‐tablet hustle and Cicero’s scroll‐toting swagger to today’s laptop lectures and TikTok chats, proving student life — status symbols, gossip, and big dreams — still beats with the same ancient pulse.

Why Horace’s Father Snubbed Rome’s Elite Prep School

“He wouldn’t send me to Flavius’ school, where the fine lads —sons of proud centurions — strode in with satchels and tablets on their left arms, eight coins of tuition clasped in hand on each Ides.”

—Horace, Satires 1.6. 75-79 

From Clay Tablets to Campus Chats: Student Life in Ancient Rome vs. Today

In ancient Rome, heading to school meant carrying a tablet — and no, not the digital kind. Roman poet Horace dryly noted that wealthy students strolled to class with wax tablets and leather satchels, ready to pay their monthly tuition. Horace, however, didn’t come from money. His father, a freed slave, scraped together enough to send him to Rome for a proper education. Think of Horace as the scholarship kid living on the ancient equivalent of ramen and PB&J, while his classmates showed up with nicer gear and more lunch money.

Cicero, by contrast, grew up in an upper-middle-class family and received a top-tier education in literature, philosophy, and rhetoric. He likely had the finest tablets, an arsenal of scrolls, and perhaps even a capsarius — a servant to carry his school supplies. Imagine having someone attend class and take notes for you! Later in life, Cicero did just that, hiring his enslaved secretary, Tiro, to take dictation in shorthand. You could say he managed to outsource his homework after all.

Fast forward two millennia, and students now tote sleek laptops instead of wax tablets. But one thing hasn’t changed: the tech you carry still signals status. School has always been a social arena, where cool gear gives you a boost — whether it's the latest MacBook or a particularly fine stylus.

When it came to staying in touch with home, Cicero would’ve envied our instant messages and video calls. He once received a letter from Syria after 27 days. Imagine waiting over a month to hear from your mom! In an age of TikToks and texts, we forget that “mail” once meant a horse and a lot of hope. But even then, students grumbled about slow replies from home.

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Gossip, Reputation, and Parental Oversight

Classrooms, ancient or modern, are more than places to learn — they’re breeding grounds for gossip. Horace took pride in avoiding slander and credited his father’s watchful parenting for keeping him out of trouble. “He guarded my innocence,” Horace wrote, recalling the day his father walked him to school. It turns out campus rumors aren’t a modern invention. Back then, a clever insult could be scribbled on a wax tablet and passed around — the Roman equivalent of a subtweet.

Horace’s father understood the risks of student life. He personally escorted young Horace to class and even sat in on lessons to shield him from bad influences. Today’s parents may not accompany their kids to lectures, but they show up at orientation, worry about safety, and dream big for their children’s future — often hoping they’ll be the first in the family to earn a college degree.

Horace’s father, once enslaved, dared to give his son a gentleman’s education — a radical act that still resonates. Like many modern parents, he saw learning as a way out, a step up, and a gateway to independence. And just like today, a student’s reputation mattered. Horace was proud no one could accuse him of greed or debauchery. Maintaining a good name was as vital in the Roman Republic as it is on today’s campuses — whether through whispered rumors or viral posts.

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Rhetoric, Romance, and the Eternal Student Struggle

No PowerPoint? No problem. Roman students like Horace and Cicero gave speeches from memory — a high-pressure task that trained them for life in politics or public service. Rhetorical exercises were central to elite education, and being able to speak on the fly was the gold standard. Public speaking still makes palms sweat today, even if we now have slides and teleprompters to lean on.

Of course, student life isn’t all essays and exams. Horace’s poetry often reveals a heart caught up in love. In one Ode, he daydreams about a faithful lover — a glimpse into his emotional world that feels all too familiar. You can practically picture him in Athens, juggling crushes and classwork, trying to become a famous poet while nursing heartbreak.

Sound familiar? Modern students are still navigating late-night study sessions and love lives. Whether it’s a classmate who catches your eye or a messy breakup during finals week, the collision of romance and responsibility is timeless. Horace’s longing for a girl under the porticoes of Athens mirrors the modern dilemma: chase your dreams, but don’t flunk out while doing it.

And outside the classroom, Horace dabbled in extracurriculars — namely, writing poetry and briefly serving in Brutus’s army after Caesar’s assassination. Today’s students join clubs or advocate for causes. The urge to make a difference while balancing coursework? Eternal.

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Changing Times, Timeless Traditions

So, what’s really changed since the days of Horace and Cicero? Scale, diversity, and freedom. Roman schools were small and socially exclusive. Today’s universities welcome students from all backgrounds, cultures, and genders — a scale and inclusivity Rome never imagined.

Freedom of choice has also evolved. In Horace’s time, education often locked students into a career path chosen by their family. Poet Ovid famously griped that his dad wanted him to be a lawyer — but he just wanted to write. Horace, too, chose poetry over politics, thanks to support from his patron Maecenas. It was a risky move, akin to turning down med school to join a garage band — but it was his dream.

Marriage expectations? Also very different. Rome pushed young adults into arranged marriages that served economic or political interests. Horace avoided that trap and remained a bachelor — even as Augustus tried to legislate marriage into fashion Horace managed to avoid that fate – he never married, remaining a bachelor with no kids. (Suetonius reports that Augustus Caesar passed laws against bachelorhood, essentially nudging men like Horace to marry and produce heirs, but Horace still did his own thing). Today, we marry (or don’t) on our own timeline. Education now symbolizes personal freedom rather than civic obligation.

Still, the heart of school life beats with familiar rhythms. Students today, like Horace and Cicero before them, juggle studies and social lives, battle homesickness, crave independence, chase ambition — and occasionally fall in love. Whether you’re writing verses in Latin or pulling an all-nighter in Python, you’re part of a tradition as old as civilization itself.

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Same Human Story. Different Tools.

Clay tablets have become iPads, scrolls replaced by PDFs, and letters by instant messages. But the student experience — learning, laughing, gossiping, dreaming — remains remarkably unchanged. Horace and Cicero might raise an eyebrow at modern campuses, but they'd surely recognize the thrill, stress, and promise of student life.

Two thousand years on, we’re still trying to get to class on time, still trying to find our voice, and still wondering if the person three rows down might text us back.

Works Cited (MLA):

• Cicero, Marcus Tullius. Letters to Atticus, translated by E. O. Winstedt. Gutenberg Project, 1921. (Letter of Aug. 15, 47 BC, showing a 27-day transit of a letter).

• “Cicero.” NumberAnalytics Blog, 28 May 2025, pp. 1–3. (Early life of Cicero: wealthy equestrian family, top education).

• Horace. Satires I.6, c. 35 BC. (Horace on school: wealthy kids with tablets; his father’s protective guidance).

• Horace – Biography. Academy of American Poets, Poets.org. (Horace’s background: son of a freedman; finest school in Rome by Orbilius).

• “Horace: The Son of a Slave Who Became Rome’s Leading Poet.” World History Encyclopedia, edited by Donald L. Wasson, World History Encyclopedia, 2020. (Horace’s later life: patronage of Maecenas; remained unmarried despite Augustus’s law).

• New York Public Library Digital Collections, The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Print Collection. Horace. 1800-1910.

• “Ovid.” World History Encyclopedia, edited by Donald L. Wasson, 2017. (Ovid’s early life: father urged him toward law and politics over poetry).

• “Roman Education.” World History Encyclopedia, World History Publishing, 2019. (Overview of Roman schooling: students’ equipment, use of slaves, rhetorical exercises).

• Tiro, Marcus Tullius. Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, last modified Jan. 2023. (Cicero’s secretary Tiro and his duties: taking dictation, managing correspondence)

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Energize Students with Quick Activity: Critical Thinking & Movement for Engagement

Revitalize your classroom dynamics with an interactive activity that boosts student engagement and fosters critical thinking. Discover how positioning students based on their opinions on controversial topics like myths and relationships not only energizes them but also prompts insightful discussions on peer influence and the Socratic method. Suitable for grades seven and up. Share your experiences!

If you’re looking for a quick method to energize your students, particularly if they appear sluggish or disinterested at the beginning or end of a class, set aside three to four minutes for this activity. Initially, they might groan, but then you present them with a scenario. 

 

You’ll ask a question and instruct students to position themselves in the classroom based on their response: those with an emphatic “yes” to one side, an emphatic “no” to the opposite side, and the undecided or “wishy-washy” in the middle. The closer a student stands to either side, the stronger their feelings about the topic. 

 

For instance, you could pose a question like, “Was Narcissus right to reject Echo’s love?” or “Does this myth accurately represent aspects of romantic relationships or unrequited love?” The more controversial or thought-provoking the question, the more engaged the students will become. As they move around the room, they not only physically activate but also engage in critical thinking, determining their stance on the issue. 

 

Observing students who are indecisive, watching where their friends go, and then following, provides an opportunity to address the influence of peer pressure in a gentle manner. This activity is not only a fun way to get students moving but also fosters critical thinking and encourages a Socratic method of engagement. 

I have implemented this strategy with students as young as seventh grade and with high schoolers. Have you tried this approach before? I’m eager to hear your thoughts and experiences.

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Language Meets Art: Exploring 'Amor' and 'Caritas' in Augustus-Saint-Gaudens’ Work at The Met 🌟🖼️

Explore the captivating intersection of language and art in Augustus Saint-Gaudens' masterpiece, Amor and Caritas, at The Met. A linguistic and artistic journey awaits, unveiling the roots of love and charity in this gilt bronze treasure. Perfect for educators and art enthusiasts.

Hey, y’all! 🌟 Hey, y’all! I’m at the Metropolitan Museum of Art today. I’m looking at Augustus-Saint-Gaudens’ gilt bronze piece from 1918 in the American wing. As a high school and middle school English and humanities teacher, I’m thrilled to share a bit of word power knowledge with you.

This piece beautifully intertwines language and art, featuring the words ‘amor’ and ‘caritas.’ 📚 ‘Amor,’ the Latin for love, is the root of the English word ‘amorous.’ And ‘caritas’? It signifies love and charity, a reminder of generosity and virtue. 💖

What makes this even more special is the angelic figure presenting these powerful words – a perfect blend of linguistic heritage and artistic expression. 🌈 So, here’s to finding love and language in art!

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Day 16 of 180: Acknowledging I'm #TeacherTired While Asking Students to Go Deeper in Their Writing

Day 16 in the classroom and, yes, #TeacherTired is real, but doing okay! I’m committed to helping my students dig deeper in their writing. It’s not just about putting words on a page; it’s about exploring layers of thought, emotion, and expression.

Teachers of Writing: How do you manage your students' writing? How do you beckon writers to go a bit deeper?

Prudence, Wisdom, and Self-Care: The Uncommon Story of Zeus and Metis

We've all heard of Zeus, the King of the Gods, known for his godly escapades and tumultuous love affairs. However, little is spotlighted about Metis, Zeus’s first wife and the Greek personification of prudence. Often sidelined by mainstream mythological tales, the story of Zeus and Metis carries essential lessons on prudence, wisdom, and self-care—virtues that have seemingly fallen by the wayside in today's fast-paced world.

The Writer's Imagining of Metis
as Drawn on an Ancient Greek Vase.

The Misunderstanding of Prudence

Unfortunately, prudence often suffers from a negative connotation, easily confused with being a prude or overly cautious. Yet, the virtue signifies the art of making thoughtful and balanced decisions that bring the least harm and greatest good. A case in point is Prudential, one of America’s leading insurance companies, built on the very tenets of safeguarding and caution. 

The Transformative Tale of Zeus and Metis

In Greek mythology, Metis embodies the virtue of prudence. Pursued by Zeus, she transforms into various animals to escape his advances—a common trope in Greek mythology. Zeus, afraid that Metis would bear a child more powerful than him, swallows her whole. While this may seem like the end for Metis, she continues to live within Zeus, imparting wisdom and prudential advice.

Wisdom Versus Prudence

The child born from this unique union is Athena, the goddess of wisdom. However, it's suggested that Athena lacks the maternal warmth that defined Metis. Herein lies the nuanced difference between wisdom and prudence: wisdom often focuses on knowledge and rational decisions, while prudence adds an emotional layer, emphasizing care for oneself and others.

The Self-Care Connection

Prudence is not just about minimizing risks; it's a form of self-care. It requires a delicate balance of wisdom and empathy to make decisions that are beneficial not only to oneself but also to those we care about. This often involves taking a step back, evaluating the situation, and then proceeding with caution and consideration.

The Living Legacy of Metis

While Metis might have met an unfortunate end, her essence lived on, both in Zeus’s wisdom and Athena’s intellect. This eternal legacy serves as a lesson that prudence, wisdom, and self-care are deeply intertwined virtues, worth much more than their misunderstood reputations. 

Through the tale of Zeus and Metis, we find a treasure trove of life lessons waiting to be applied in our own lives. Far from being forgotten, their story teaches us that prudence is not a constraint.

Find Mythology Content and More! On the Stones of Erasmus Store

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Creation Myths of Ancient India: World Mythology Series for the Middle and High School Humanities Classroom

Teaching creation myths from ancient India can be an exciting way to engage middle and high school students in the Humanities or English Language Arts classroom. It provides an opportunity to explore different cultures, beliefs, and worldviews. In this post, we will delve into the significance of creation myths and explore some examples of creation myths from ancient India.

I discuss how to teach creation myths from ancient India to middle and high school students in a Humanities or English Language Arts classroom.

From the soaring Himalayas to the tropical coastline,
the Indian subcontinent's diverse geography
has shaped India's rich and complex history.

Creation myths are an integral part of human history and culture. They are stories that explain how the world came into being and how humans, gods, and other beings came to exist. Ancient India is rich in mythology and has a plethora of creation myths that provide a unique perspective on the universe's origin.

What is a Creation Myth?

A creation myth is a traditional story that explains how the universe, Earth, and all living things came into existence. These myths are often considered sacred and passed down through generations. Creation myths vary across cultures, but they all share a common thread: they attempt to answer fundamental questions about the nature of existence and our place in the world.

Creation Myths from Ancient India

India has a rich and diverse tradition of creation myths. These myths are drawn from Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and other religions that originated in India. Here are a few examples of creation myths from ancient India:

The Rig Veda Creation Myth: This is one of the oldest creation myths in India, dating back to around 1500 BCE. It tells the story of the god Prajapati, who creates the world by sacrificing himself.

The Puranas Creation Myth: The Puranas are a collection of ancient Hindu texts that describe the creation of the universe. They tell the story of the god Brahma, who creates the world by meditating on the lotus flower that grows from the navel of the god Vishnu.

The Buddhist Creation Myth: In Buddhist mythology, the universe goes through

Ancient India boasts a host of creation myth traditions.

cycles of creation and destruction. The creation of the universe is said to begin when the Buddha Amitabha creates a pure land, a perfect world where beings can attain enlightenment.

The Jain Creation Myth: In Jainism, the universe is eternal and has no beginning or end. However, it constantly changes, and beings are reborn in different forms. The universe is divided into six realms, including the human realm, the animal realm, and the realm of the gods.

Teaching Creation Myths from Ancient India

Teaching creation myths from ancient India can be a fun and interactive experience for students. Here are a few tips for incorporating these myths into your Humanities or English Language Arts curriculum:

1. Provide Context: Before diving into the creation myths, provide students with some background on ancient India, its religions, and its culture. This will help students understand the significance of these myths and appreciate their cultural and historical context.
2. Engage in Close Reading: Read the creation myths with your students and encourage them to analyze the language, themes, and symbols used in the text. This can be a great way to build critical thinking and analysis skills.
3. Compare and Contrast: Compare and contrast the creation myths from ancient India with creation myths from other cultures. This can help students see the similarities and differences between different worldviews and gain a broader perspective on human history and culture.
4. Explore Art and Literature: Creation myths from ancient India have inspired a wealth of art and literature. Encourage students to explore visual art, literature, and music that are inspired by these myths. This can be a great way to connect with the myths on a deeper level and explore their cultural significance.

Conclusion

Teaching creation myths from ancient India can be an enriching and enlightening experience for middle and high school students. It provides an opportunity to explore different cultures, beliefs, and worldviews and to build critical thinking and analysis skills. 

Feel free to check out my store, where you can purchase my unique lesson plan on teaching creation myths from ancient India!

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Clip Art: Cosmic School Teacher

The cosmic school teacher inspires students by exploring boundless ideas, from black holes to the meaning of existence, opening minds to infinite possibilities. 

Source: Created by Stones of Erasmus, coloring page (with digital elements added by open-source artificial intelligence). This image is created and made with love by Stones of Erasmus (stonesoferasmus.com).

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Stones of Erasmus Teacher's Planner: Teach the Mythology of the Titan Gods and Goddesses with Middle and High School Students (Or, How to Make Mythology Relevant for Adolescent English Language Arts Students)

In this post, I briefly outline why it is both a challenge and a reward to teach mythology as a unit in a middle and high school classroom!

Last year my students sat at desks with

plexiglass screens, but we were still

able to engage in meaningful conversations

(including the meaning of myth). #thumbsup

Introducing the Topic of Myth to Students

Mythology is a powerful topic to introduce to adolescent learners in a Language Arts or Humanities classroom. But, there's a catch. You don't want to present mythology as "kids' stuff" — and you definitely want to have a conversation about how students were first introduced to mythology — via Disney's Hercules or from a children's book, or a trip to the library, or not at all! The aura of myth is everywhere. And myths originate from all the world's societies — from the moment the first human could speak, myths have been told.

State and reiterate to students that mythology is a wide-reaching topic, and in every culture and civilization, there is a mythology — the stuff of narrative that sticks, that is universal, and tells a human story. Greek mythology is a standard go-to when teaching myth. It's standard fodder in schools today — especially because of Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief and Edith Hamilton's Mythology. But don't just stick with the Greeks — provide a variety of mythic stories and see how they are parallel, and share common patterns.

Finding Patterns in Myth and Identifying Tropes

Believe it or not — characters like

Spider-man, from Marvel comics and movies

— are just modern-day iterations of myth.

What god would Spider-man be? Anansi?

Arachne? Perhaps!

Photo by Judeus Samson on Unsplash

In a middle or high school setting, it's important to contextualize myth and to make it relevant for today's learners. How do you do that successfully? The best way to do it is to show how patterns in myth crop up in our everyday world. Perhaps your students are not worried about finding a nymph on the sidewalk, or striding a bull that turns into a God — but, mythology is all around us. I love to use the website TV Tropes — it organizes common tropes found in literature, movies, television, and video games to show how popular allusions form and where they can be found! One good place to start is to show students how the Marvel Cinematic Universe is just another version of mythology, re-packaged for the new media set.

The difficulty with teaching myth to students is just simply the gulf of content that is out there. It can be overwhelming. But less is more. The goal of teaching mythology is to have students make connections. Also, older students can learn about the discrepancies found in myths, and chart out and graph those inconsistencies — such as why the stories from ancient sources change, are adapted, and evolve over time. There is no universal text when it comes to these stories — and prepare to leverage this reality to your advantage. Create group work that has students investigate the differences and similarities found in myth. And make sure to record and document what you find.

Teach a Three-Day Lesson on the Titan Gods and Goddesses

Where to start on a myth unit for middle and high school students? You can start with a lesson on creation myths, but don't forget the Titans. The Titans are the "old gods," and their stories are filled with violence, wonder, intrigue, rebellion, and the rise of the new gods, the Olympians. Learn with your students as you traverse stories that include a father castrated by his son; a wise, compassionate one who attempts to save humankind, and how a jar (or, is it a box?) unleashes mayhem onto the world!

Use a three-day lesson plan digital download from
Stones of Erasmus. Adolescents will love the messiness
and insanity of the old gods, the Titans. 

Engage Secondary English Language Arts students with the story of the Titans, the second-generation gods, and goddesses of Greek Mythology. Learn each Titan's backstory, where they came from, and their relationship to the Giants, and the Olympians. There is a clash of the Titans, that's for sure. Hesiod called it the Titanomachy. Use this fully packed three-day lesson plan, designed especially for students aged 13-17 years old.

• This resource is optimized for distance learning. The product includes a durable Google Apps link. Access and modify this resource for student use on Google Classroom and other classroom management sites.

Use this Digital Download for a Three-day English Language Arts Lesson

Using my tested-in-the-classroom resources, your kids will want to discuss good and bad parenting skills, cursed families, sins of the fathers, the role of women in myth, power, and the clash of the Titans! So I have loaded this resource with TEN reading cards and a set of THIRTY questions that will get your students talking, writing, and wondering!

Common Core Standards: This resource aligns well with the reading literature standard: "Analyze the representation of a subject or a key scene in two different artistic mediums, including what is emphasized or absent in each treatment (e.g., Auden’s “Musée des Beaux-Arts” and Breughel’s Landscape with the Fall of Icarus)."

This Resource Includes the Following Features:

• 1 Teacher's Three-day Lesson Calendar
  • With a teacher-tested-stamp of approval, follow my suggestions on how to teach the origin story of the Titans with high school students. Start with background knowledge, places, and geography, engage students in group reading with custom-made reading cards, and quiz your class with trivia-style questions. Cap the lesson off with a creative writing activity.

• 10 Art + Literature Reading Cards
  • Included in this resource are ten reading cards that cover the lives, misdeeds, and fates of all the Titans and Titanesses:
    • Kronos (Saturn), Rhea, Crius, Coeus (Koios), Ocean (Oceanus), Tethys, Hyperion, Leto, Mnemosyne, Themis, Hecate, Phoebe, Iapetus, Atlas, Prometheus, Epimetheus, the Giants, the Curedes, and the Dactyls!

• 1 Key Characters and Places Worksheet
  • Orient your learners by identifying the key characters and the geographical location of the story.

• A Bank of 30 Trivia-style Questions about the Titans
  • After your students engage in the reading cards, test their knowledge with a custom-made question set.

• 10 Frayer Model Vocabulary Cards (with student sample)
  • Frayer models are a way to get kids to think about vocabulary visually in a four-section square —- A square for meaning, one for examples, another for non-examples, and a sketch. It is amazing to see the work they produce. A great way to decorate your classroom to showcase your kids' vocabulary-in-text understanding. The cards contain terms, Greek and Latin roots, and challenging words (as well as contextual entries fit to the story).

• Half-Sheet 3-2-1 Exit Ticket
  • Exit tickets are a way to get data about your students' understanding of the lesson right before the class is finished. Collect these exit tickets and quickly see what ideas your students took away from reading and discussing the myth.

• 1 Essay Writing Activity (with two visual starters and prompts)
  • Cap off this three-day lesson with a creative essay prompt to get students to make text-to-world connections.

• 1 Further Reading List
  • Don't disregard this further reading list if you think it is merely a bibliography. Share the list with your students or have them do projects based on the research that is available. Assign different sources to students and organize presentations where learning can go deeper into the stories of the Titans.

• Answer Keys for all student-facing documents
  • Teachers always ask for answer keys for my products so I made sure I gave you plenty of guidance on what to expect from students in their written and oral responses.

• Bonus: 3-Box Notetaking Template — Embed accountability into the lesson by having students annotate the text cards with notes, questions, and a summary of what they've read and comprehended.

I created this resource with secondary students in mind. It is designed for an English Language Arts Mythology unit —

• For any myth-related unit!
• On the Clash of the Titans!
• Use this resource as a stand-alone lesson or, pair it with a larger unit on Myth, Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief, The Theogony of Hesiod, Robert Graves's Greek Myths, or Edith Hamilton's Mythology, or Parallel Myths by J.F. Bierlein.

For resources similar to this one see my:

• Pairs perfectly with a stand-alone lesson on Kronos and Rhea, and Prometheus and Pandora! (They're basically the sequel stories to this myth)
• Greek Cautionary Tales, Apollo and Daphne, and Orpheus and Eurydice
• and my popular Plato's Cave lesson!

You can purchase this three-day lesson on Teachers Pay Teachers, Amazon Ignite, Made By Teachers, and here on my website!

PDF Copy for Printing