Response to "Worlds Apart..."

I loved reading your post, because I have always wholeheartedly agreed that the "unifying power" of the moon, as you put it, is completely underrated and under-utilized. The notion that we all see the same  moon, regardless of geographical location or the era of time in which we live, is a powerful ponder.

This past spring in my sophomore English class, we were studying Chinese, West African and Latin American poetry, with each region moving from Ancient to more modern eras. I dubbed one day in class "Moon Day": the students began by free writing, writing 60-second poems and 6-word-stories on the moon. We then read an Ancient Chinese poem on the moon, Li Po's "Still Night Thoughts" side by side with a 20th Century Chinese poet's interpretation of the moon- Xu De-Min's "The Moon Rises Slowly Over the Ocean." I stressed the concept that you just described, namely that the two poets were looking at the exact same moon when crafting their poems, and that in turn it was the exact same moon that we see every night now, in Chicago in the year 2013. The students loved this idea, particularly as urban high-schoolers who didn't often take the time to appreciate the components of nature that they had access to.

I always tell people that I have a special connection to the moon because I was born under a full moon; my mother was in bed, looked up at the full moon out of her window, and her water broke. I have always paid special attention to the cycle of the moon, and always make sure I'm aware of when the full moon will fall each month. I was telling my students all of this when we did our "Moon Day" lesson this past year, and they were nothing short of skeptical. They jumped at the opportunity to make (well-intentioned) fun of me- "So does that make you a werewolf?"

In all seriousness, I encouraged my students to take some time to look at the moon that night. I think the act of moon-gazing brings a welcome moment of peace in their often over-scheduled lives. I felt sure that in their days and nights defined by facebook, twitter, instagram and beyond, doing a bit of pondering under the moon would have a calming effect.

On a final note, taking my post in a different direction, I think the educational power of music, particularly musicals, is worth exploring regardless of the grade or subject matter we teach. I religiously watched the first few seasons of Glee (especially as I prepared to enter the field of secondary education), and was always impressed by the show's ability to tackle tough issues through music for the target audience of middle-level and high school students. "Worlds Apart" likewise presents the racial subtext of Huck and Jim's relationship in an approachable way, inviting students to ease their way into a discussion that might be difficult to launch into without the help of song.