Session: 1234567891011121314         Page 568569570571572573574575576577578579580581582583584585586587588589590591592593594595596597598599600601602603604605606607608609610611612613614615616617618619620621622623624625626627628629630631632633634635636637638639 of 763

tract put in the idiom of the times.

I would go along in that direction. And he put it in the context of Mark Twain the person.

As a former teacher yourself and knowing teachers at lower levels than you taught, would you think that Mark Twain, at the levels that they try to teach it-- which as I understand is at least by the eleventh or twelfth grade, but sometimes younger-- puts a particular either burden or challenge or blame on the teacher?

I think that teachers always have challenges or burdens.

Is this a particular one though or an extraordinary one?

It's a particular one in the sense of using this material like you'd use other types of materials, to broaden the perspectives of your students. In other words, to let your students understand what the author was dealing with and whether he was communicating, what he was trying to get his readers to understand. But that's what a teacher's for, to help students.

I understand that the MacNeil-Lehrer Report last night had a focus segment on this controversy. The correspondent handling it was Charlene Hunter-Galt, and it had both teachers and a mixed group of students.