Imagine teaching the origin of words like music and museum by telling the stories of the Muses. Imagine astronomy with the myths of Neptune and Venus and Pluto and Helios. Imagine a classroom where students learn about the pursuit of fame by studying the war hero Achilles and the choice he faced: a life that would end early, but would leave a reputation that would last forever - or a long and peaceful life, but without the glory. “So, even now you have died, you have not lost your name, but always in the sight of all mankind your fame shall be great, Achilleus.” Imagine a class on immigration and race relations that begins with a discussion of the guest-host relationship during the ancient Greek times. “Welcome, stranger. You shall be entertained as a guest among us. Afterward, when you have tasted dinner, you shall tell us what your need is.” Imagine teaching persistence, temptation, and loyalty by taking a group of students on a journey with Odysseus as he makes his way from Troy to his home in Ithaca - a home he hasn’t seen in twenty years. Along the way, you’ll talk about people as tall as mountains who hurl boulders, a bag of winds that can aid a journey home but causes destruction, a woman who turns men into pigs, sea monsters who lure sailors to their death and snatch men from ships, and a sun god who takes the protection of his sacred cattle very very seriously.
These are just a few of the ancient stories that provide inspiration to look at the world with wonder and imagination, and to think creatively and without limits.
Quotation from THE ODYSSEY OF HOMER, Translation Copyright © 1965 Richmond Lattimore, Renewed © 1995 Alice B. Lattimore. HarperCollins Publishers.
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