From Peter Rabbit to AP Literature

Education is a lifelong process, and we return again and again to the same basic questions as our minds develop and our experiences grow more complex.

Recently I sat in on a Darlington kindergarten class taught by Rebecca Montgomery and Byron Dacy. I arrived just in time for the story, so I joined the circle and enjoyed Rebecca's energetic performance of Peter Rabbit. Kindergarten kids are so wonderfully present-tense -- the story was happening in front of them as Rebecca spoke -- and they responded with their own questions and insights as they listened. Naturally there was tremendous sympathy for Peter as he ran for his life from Mr. MacGregor  and sat shivering in a water can. When Rebecca asked them why Peter had gotten in trouble, they all knew. He had disobeyed his mother; the moral lesson was clear.

What caught my attention most, however, was that Peter "had forgotten the way back to the gate" when he became frightened. He was a smug little outlaw until he faced the real consequences of his disobedience, then he went to pieces. His mother had warned him that his father had been "baked in a pie," but hearing about danger is one thing and staring at it is another. It brought to mind the many students who receive endless reminders, but who end up getting in over their heads, anyway.

Later that same day, in my AP English Literature class, we considered Stephen Dedalus in A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man. Like Peter, Stephen had a father who had gotten in trouble.  Like Peter, Stephen engaged in various forms of naughtiness which put him at risk. And like Peter, Stephen heard the stories of his ancestors but had to live through his own mistakes on the way to adulthood. There are huge differences in the stories, as well,  but at a basic level my class and Rebecca's were engaged in similar quests for understanding. What kind of character was Peter? Why does he do the things he does? How does he react to circumstances? What can I learn from his story?

From pre-K through grade 12, Darlington directs the attention of students to information and skills we all need. Since narrative is one of our principle ways of understanding the world, we nurture the love of reading at all levels, no matter the complexity. We encourage you to keep talking about the stories you read, and that your children and friends read. We will keep asking the fundamental questions, and listening to the insights that result.