Teacher Jennifer Kirmes (top-C) works with students attempting to "untie" themselves without releasing hands, during part of science class at Cesar Chavez Public Charter School for public Policy, 05 June 2006 in Washington, DC. (PAUL J. RICHARDS/AFP via Getty Images)
A room packed with students in their final months of high school, laughing at the linguistic absurdity of Eugène Ionesco’s The Bald Soprano, their confusion evolving into understanding. I love that moment – that challenge – of revealing the beauty of literature to a classroom full of teenagers. Some might not imagine a more sceptical audience; I can’t imagine a more necessary one.
