Page 23 - 2012.Millard.North

ltteratt~re comes

a I iv e

"Th ese are my former students who misbehaved," English teacher Christine Rushenberg said as
she hinted to her class about the bones that littered the floor of her room.
Th is was just a part of the unusual decor for a hi gh school classroom. Blood spl attered wall s and a
decapitated head greeted students as they walked in . Lights illuminated the faces of curious students

gawking at the "campfire" in the center of the room. Rushenberg used the opportunity to teach the
legend of Beowulf to her class, including presenting the story in th e traditional dress of a storyteller.
"I liked how eccentric (the presentation) was, it brought back the feel of that time period," senior
Francesca Gurciullo said.

While studying Beowulf, students were treated to an outside adventure that was not exactly a part of
Rushenberg's lesson plans. The malfunctioning of her smoke machine triggered th e fire alarm.
"Rightaway I knew she had started the fire , which was funny. Sh e was pretty embarrassed," junior
Sarah Klinger said.
Like other English teachers, Rushenberg emphasized how creative teaching techniques can help

introduce new concepts and offer a change to simply reading a book or listening to a lecture.
"I constantly have students come back and ask 'Have you done Beowulf yet? ' Sometimes they will
sneak back in as it's more fun than ju st sitting at your des k reading th e story," Rushenberg said.

that one crazy classroom "The best part about Mrs.
ma. ruahenberg•a Rushenberg's class is "The
Secret" . I can 't say exactly
eccentric lair left a memorable image what it is, but if you find it,
you can participate in it. "
-Justin Sleep , 1 o

love how she does
other teachers don't. Such' as "T)l.J
Book Nook" co mplete with pi llows
and comfy chairs."
· Mi chaela Dirks, 1 o
board."
-Connor
Brown,10