I hadn’t taught the Odyssey in a few years. I read the entire binder over two relaxing evenings. It was a joy! I couldn’t put it down. It was exactly what I needed to prepare to teach the Odyssey again. Busy teachers will so appreciate the clear and lively writing about the backgrounds of each of the characters and adventures, the concrete timelines, and the suggestions for journal entries. The program also has some really meaningful prompts that opened up students’ discussion and their own thinking. The quality paper made using the materials easy.

I received the program last year at the start of the unit on the Odyssey, so I had already planned a large chunk of the unit lessons.  As a result, I found that I used the resources in the program as a way to augment my existing plans. Even used this way, the results were great—there were reflective prompts and activities from Tell me ODYSSEUS that I used in place of some of the other things that I had initially planned, and I was very happy with the responses and the level of engagement from the students.

This year, because of some scheduling conflicts, I will not be teaching the Odyssey; however, I have passed along the Tell me ODYSSEUS materials to the teacher who will be teaching that unit. I believe his intent is to plan the lessons themselves around the Tell me ODYSSEUS materials from the start—something I wasn’t able to do because of timing last year.

Thank you so much, the resources in the Tell me ODYSSEUS program have been wonderful!

Someone not teaching the epic, or not familiar with it, might not realize just how much information has been synthesized into the Tell me ODYSSEUS teaching program. The organization of that information is incredible and the parts are brought together in a way that’s easy to understand.  It also gives me great ideas on what questions to ask in the classroom.

Your teaching program is not what we typically see in catalogs, this is not your mainstream curriculum. We normally do not purchase curriculum—but this was different.  I don’t need something that tells me how to teach.  I need information. I used the Odyssey teaching program as a reference resource.  It helped me fill in the details and deepen my understanding.

Engaging historical information and helpful breakdowns. The timelines and maps were especially useful to students!

Thanks for your new map and the workshop!  It reminded me why I fell in love with being an English major in college and it made me feel like I was back in school discussing great literature!  The nice thing is: I am excited about teaching the Odyssey again.  And, despite the fact that I could have just used last year’s lesson plans, I seem to be re-vamping and extending my entire unit.

I can honestly say that your company, TellmeOmuse, and the Tell me ODYSSEUS binder are a breath of fresh air.  You have really helped me look at aspects of the epic that I hadn’t considered before.  Your materials also provide the story to the students in an engaging way—with maps, organized breakdowns, memory cards and more. It makes it FUN! I am also using your map and ship/crew count. The Reader Response questions at the end of the sections are also a great way to have the students connect to the literature.

I do not think the Classics are out-dated or irrelevant.  I believe they are still relevant in our world.  The Odyssey is timeless.  We all struggle through life.  We are all tempted.  We all face tough choices.  We all face monsters.  We all make mistakes.  The Odyssey speaks to the human condition. Life, itself, is a journey (sounds like a cliché, but it’s true) and the Odyssey is a great story for today’s students, a symbol of life itself.

In all, I really love the stuff so far and really appreciated our meeting: it was personal, engaging, and really motivated me.  And, best of all, it is HELPING me improve my unit from last year.  For someone who is new at teaching the Odyssey to an old pro/veteran, TellmeOmuse is a blessing!  Your Odyssey program is a real help to anyone teaching Homer’s great epic.