The old adage “Just be yourself” looks good on paper but gets pretty scary in the real world when we must rely on our own instincts to make decisions. Dangers abound. What if we make a mistake and hurt somebody? These fears– fueled by lack of confidence– cause us to look to other people to do the thinking and acting for us. Our role models inspire us to be better, but sometimes they become convenient ways to escape the responsibility we have to be the best versions of ourselves.
Julius Caesar is the perfect Shakespeare play to use when focusing on the theme of leadership. A huge aspect of the play is that it is a visceral exploration of essential questions relating to leadership: How hard is it to …
Shakespeare has many plays involving leaders, but the story of Julius Caesar has become legendary. Very early on, the consequences of a leader who has gained too much power is shown. At this point, I would introduce students to the …
I am teaching about the Constitution and I want to look at the beginning of the preamble with students so that we could explore the theme of leadership. I would use the Lao Tzu conversation in order to discuss whether …
Lao Tzo’s quote, “To lead the people, walk behind them,” can ignite conversation on the dichotomies of strength vs. dominance, humility vs. passivity, ends vs. means, and how leaders respond to conflict and influence. This can help students to better …
Henry David Thoreau’s time spent at Walden Pond was not a fluke; it was a carefully planned and executed choice to live deliberately according to Thoreau’s transcendental beliefs. I would use a study of Walden to connect to the Lao …
In Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun, various family members compete for the fulfillment of their dreams. But for each, there is the vision, and then there are the uncertain “facts.” The Einstein conversation allows students to consider whether …
I’m teaching the Civil Rights Movement and I want to focus on the theme of anger by looking at the negatives and positives of getting angry versus staying calm to get what you want. I could stage the Lao Tzu …
Studying epic poetry, particularly Homer’s The Iliad, is a great way to explore the theme of anger, as this theme is present from the very beginning of the poem which begins with the line, “Sing, Goddess, sing of the rage …
Lao Tzu’s conversation, which cautions against a fixation on goal-setting, fits perfectly with the concepts of minimalism and anti-consumerism. To teach this concept, I would reach back to whom many consider to be the original minimalist, Henry David Thoreau. An …
When having students read the nonfiction novel by journalist Malcolm Gladwell, Outliers: The Story of Success, I would use the Lao Tzu conversation to spark a discussion and debate about goal-setting in general. We would start off with the essential …
Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s short story “The Yellow Wallpaper” pairs perfectly with the conversation on anger featuring Lao Tzu. After a reading of the story, students can use the conversation as a springboard to an analysis of how the main character’s …
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