I read Great Expectations every year in the late fall--a time permeated by cold and drizzle, just as I imagine it must feel on those moors in England when Pip first encounters that blasted convict. Though, to be fair, it does seem that the cold and drizzle permeate most of Pip's days, regardless of his age and socio-economic status. You know what's even better than re-reading a book you love? Re-reading it along with people who are reading it for the first time. Just as I love my son trying to figure out what Mr. Tumnus looks like, or why he is wearing pants and no shirt, I love it when my students declare their loyalty to Pip despite the fact that he continually makes bad decisions. Now, I realize not everyone has the opportunity to experience this joy as frequently as I do, it being a somewhat vital aspect of my job, but it is a lovely thing.
As we speak, my AP Lit students are taking their semester final exam. We have spent the past five months reading novels, plays, poems, essays, short stories and more. We have analyzed and read closely and made inferences and deciphered theme and talked about tone and become masters at describing an author's diction. I'm so proud of them. They are ready for this test--one that is by no means "a breeze". Unlike Pip, their expectations are based on hard work and determination; they have thoughtfully considered where to place their goals and continually measure to see whether they are making progress. We love Pip because we know he has the potential to want the right things; we can see in him a fallibility that is in us all and we long for him to right his course, to justify our 490-page journey through the rain and mud and redeem himself. Isn't that what we are all doing anyway? Pushing through the muck and mire on a metaphorical search for our own daily redemption? Revising our expectations as we go?
While Pip's expectations come from an outside (and secret) source, my students' expectations come from within. Sure, I may have to remind them what they are from time to time, but true growth only happens when expectations are internalized. And we are growing like weeds over here.
