Percy Jackson in the Classroom: A New Approach to the Novel Study

By Krisandra Johnson

I became an English teacher because I love books. As a child and teen, books were magical and libraries were a haven. As an education major, I wrote, a little naively, in my philosophy of education that I was going to introduce students to stories they loved. They just needed someone to help them. Overzealous? Perhaps. But that passion is why it’s an uncomfortable truth to admit that now, a decade later, I absolutely loathe the novel study.

The hatred doesn’t stem from the books themselves, but rather due to all of the challenges a novel study presents. It’s exhausting, and I know other teachers have experienced similar situations. Only having one class set, so all reading must be done within the 55-minute class period. That entire period is spent reading, so there’s little time left to discuss. I feel I am forced to lead weeks of reading like a steam engine chugging toward a destination. I picture myself throwing wood to flame, afraid to stop and be derailed.

Krisandra Johnson

Krisandra Johnson teaches 8th grade English in Speedway, IN. She encourages her students to write about what they love, so she writes about what she loves: teaching.