Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad. This was the summer reading assignment I chose for my senior honor students. However, I'm only teaching two sections this year--changed the last possible moment by a new, misdirected administrator. I also teach 10th grade students a new curriculum that our district bought from Kaplan, a division of the Washington Post, to the tune of 4 1/2 million dollars. Last, but not least, I have 3 sections of Intensive Reading, also all seniors, and the curriculum (of which I have yet to catch a glimpse) is called Edge. Brand new, manufactured by National Geographic, cost unknown, it promises to build, equip, and otherwise manipulate striving readers in a last ditch effort to get them to pass the FCAT (or at least the SAT or ACT). Our English department split today into Eng. and Reading, so I am caught in the great divide...chasm, if you will. This may possibly sound satirical due to the fact that intricately detailed lesson plans must be synthesized and electronically submitted to the powers that be weekly and without hesitation.

Back to Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad. A wise and coincidentally, appropriately prophetic choice. Btw, I enjoy my students :-)