"All right, then, I'll go to hell"

I was typing up a document to share with my kids on how to properly embed a quote in a paragraph for an essay. I needed to create a paragraph off the top of my head centered on a different story so the students could see what it would look like in practice. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is one of my favorite books and that is what came to mind when I thought about writing a paragraph.

The one quote that came to mind was this one from Huck near the end of the book, "All right, then, I'll go to hell" (Twain 210). I love this quote because Huck has decided to help free Jim despite what society says about slavery. It's an act of independence. Huck says his moral compass is more important than that of others. I was struck by this and thought about the work I've been doing in class with my kids and realized that the quote has been my motto all year. I needed to post my thoughts now before school started.

As more and more people continue to pressure teachers to follow the standardized testing routine, I decided I'm going to be project based and have fun while I do it. If teachers want to shake their finger at me and suggest that I'm doing kids a disservice, let them. I'm going to do what I think is best for the students in my classroom. I feel that is my responsibility. I feel so much better that this quote came to mind. I've been worrying about my decisions to go this way, but Huck reminded me that society doesn't always know what is best.

For all of the teachers out there doing something different, know that you will have a nice seat in hell next to me and Huck Finn. Have a great Tuesday.