Welcome to the cKotch.Com blog. I’m Christopher Kotcher, and this is another good moment from my student teaching.
Teaching Mythology
My elective mythology class was a highlight of my student teaching. Students here truly wanted to learn. This was a class they chose. Not a subject they were made to take.
These students wanted to see Gilgamesh quest for immortality after his best friend’s death. They wanted to discover the great conflict of heroes in the Trojan War. They were all too willing to see renowned mythologist Joseph Campbell dissect the classic mythical structure of the Hero’s Journey.
This was not a class concerned mainly with standardized test scores or curricular goals. No, mythology class was about chasing knowledge for learning’s sake.
You know, I may love teaching mainline English classes. But sometimes a break from all the heavy regulations of core classes can be refreshing.
Many stories can be told of mythology class. Discussing Ancient Alien versions of myths. Deciphering strange videos from my cooperating teacher’s collection. Sharing students’ surprising answers to mythological questions in regard to their own lives.
Yes, many stories can be told.
Though today, I would like to focus on our most famous classroom meme. A story that began in inspired innocence during lecture. A gag that ran across class sessions for endless weeks. A tired joke eventually immortalized in assignments and bulletin boards.
This is what brought our class together. This is the Myth of Gum.
Gum, or Chewables?
We had just finished covering Sumerian mythology. Students had received their first taste of a hero myth with the warrior king Gilgamesh.
Now seemed the best time to discuss Joseph Campbell’s research on the Hero’s Journey archetype. I would be able to use Gilgamesh as an example alongside standard pop culture examples like Star Wars.
My lectures on Campbell consisted of both interview clips and slide shows. As always, the mythology students were interested.
But they were still teens of the iGeneration. Distraction was a natural part of their lives.
I was discussing Campebell’s belief that even our grandest myths emerge from attempts to explain our lives and our world. During my lecture, I saw two students passing gum. Nothing too serious but still distracting all the same.
I played on the moment. Pointed right at them while saying, “Yes, according to Campbell, even something as mundane as passing gum could become a myth.”
The students stopped, and the rest of the class glanced at them with a chuckle. The one who had received the gum tried to play off the moment. He laughed, rolled his eyes, and asked, “Really?”
I shrugged my shoulders and told him to try.
The Receiver of Gum paused. He needed a moment to think.
Then he blinked. Some strange sort of divine inspiration had apparently come upon him. He told an incredible tale of gum’s glorious entry into our world. Gum was a gift. Gum was good. Gum was beyond mere human understanding. We learned secrets beyond our mortal comprehension. Secrets I dare not share here.
Soon the Receiver moved into lofty realms of philosophy too. Why did we call this glorious gift “gum”? Why not refer to it by another sweeter, stickier name? Why did we not choose to call it “chicken” or “chewables”?
The Receiver’s moment of inspiration was truly something to behold. Unfortunately, he did not give us a full revelation of gum’s grand origins. Like, who gave us the gift? And why would they bless us so?
Perhaps humanity simply was not ready for the full story. At least the possibilities were now open to us (and they gave us a pretty humorous day of class too).
The Myth Continues
Both in an out of class, the Myth of Gum would be constantly referenced. It was a badge of honor, a reference only mythology students understood. This inside joke always left them chuckling, especially when surrounding students grew confused.
References to the myth appeared in lectures both subtly and overtly. The Passer of Gum grew somewhat annoyed by the constant references. But all others enjoyed the fun. Always gave the Receiver a wide smile too.
This was something which brought our classroom together. We became a community. And like any community, our stories held us together.
Unfortunately, the references did eventually slow. Others got in on mythology’s inside joke. Mentioning the myth in lectures moved from novel to expected.
Still, two developments thankfully came to immortalize the Myth of Gum in our lives.
- The Myth Creation Assignment The Receiver wrote a newly revealed chapter of the Myth of Gum to answer why we called this gift “gum.” Apparently, gum was first discovered by two tribes of warrior ants. The Gum and the Chewable. These ants used gum as both a snack and a building material. Expansion of the tribes led to eventual conflict. Despite Chewable trickery, the Gum won. And so, gum was given its current name in honor of the champion ants.
- The Bulletin Board My cooperating teacher directed me to make a classroom bulletin board. I needed something to represent mythology class, and the Myth of Gum seemed a natural choice. It highlighted our particular classroom community. And so, the meme was made which now adorns the post. “Even Gum Can Be a Myth.” What more inspirational statement could there be?
A Myth Indeed
In all seriousness, the Myth of Gum does highlight some notable things.
Communities are bound by stories. No matter how ridiculous these stories may seem.
The Myth of Gum gave a unique identity to mythology class. It brought people together and made them want to keep the group going. Something any good myth should aim to do. Something any good story should aim to do.
On those merits, the Myth of Gum, at least alongside its surrounding inspirations and references, is indeed a myth.
This really was another eye-opening, mind-widening student teaching experience. It reinforced my desire to have my teaching and writing build something among people. To form a community which makes something special of its own.
Providing social glue is a great honor. May it lead to things beyond my imagination.
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