^{from The Serpentine Muse, volume 19:3, Summer 2003.}

Keeping the Memory Green

With computers, TV, sports, and video games, it is very difficult to interest middle school youngsters in reading or academics. It is indeed a delight to see them become interested in Sherlock Holmes and the 19^th century.

For the past 10 years, I have been visiting 7^th and 8^th grade classrooms dressed in Inverness cape and deerstalker, carrying a calabash and a magnifying glass. As soon as I enter the classroom, you can hear a pin drop. As I go around the room making deductions about certain students à la Sherlock Holmes, I can hear some giggles, but most of the class is enthralled. I talk about Conan Doyle and how he listened to and learned from Dr. Joseph Bell. The students are amazed that there were no modern tests or instruments back then.

The students in the 7^th grade have read a play based on DYIN and the 8^th graders have read SPEC before I go in to talk to them. We talk about each story and how Holmes’s deductive reasoning played into the whole plot. We talk about Watson and the relationship between Watson and Holmes. The students love to hear about some of the plots of the other stories, particularly HOUN.

For an hour, they are fascinated with the life of Conan Doyle, the history of Sherlock Holmes and life in 19^th century England. Not a peep is heard when they hear about Sherlock Holmes’s ‘death’ and his hiatus. They can’t imagine how Holmes could figure things out without a computer. They are amazed how many stories Conan Doyle wrote and the number of languages into which the Canon has been translated.

I think one of the things they like best is to see some of my collection of Sherlockian teddy bears and other paraphernalia. They love to see Wishbone in his deerstalker. They get a kick out of seeing Angelica (of Rugrats) in a deerstalker and roller skates. They enjoy looking at some of the stories in other languages.

Our school had a campaign to encourage the students to read. Pictures of the staff were taken with their favorite books or topics. Of course, the photo of me is in full Sherlockian regalia reading Sherlock Holmes. That photo will remain on display long after I have left the school so Sherlock Holmes will live on!

For me, talking to middle schoolers is a very rewarding experience. I love to share the joy of reading the stories and experiencing life as it was over a hundred years ago. It is wonderful to hear questions about the Canon and ACD. When the students ask about websites so they can find out more information, I know that the memory will continue to be green!

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