Fo' Shizzle
How does a new word created by star rapper Snoop Dogg link to William Shakespeare? After their first five days at Madison High School in Portland, John O’Hagan and Rafael Untalan came up with the answer.
Hardly new at bringing the power of Shakespeare into schools, the actor-teachers were face to face with “adult teenagers” shaped by an urban world, where the nuance of language was often replaced by physical expression.
Their plan was simple and effective. First, get these kids to play. Then use Snoop Dogg to connect them to language as a powerful choice of expression, and finally, bring that back to the Bard.
Four days later, the school was buzzing. Students were staying in their seats even after the bell rang to get one more drop. They were verbose; they were excited. It made their English teacher teary and hopeful. And she had reason to be.
More About School Visits
Read about OSF School Visit Program veterans, actors Carolyn Hitt and Aldo Billingslea.