RAR #265 Shakespeare Is Not a School Subject

Read-Aloud Revival ®

Sarah Mackenzie

Books, Homeschool, How To, Read-aloud, Kids & Family, Teaching From Rest, Reading, Education, Parenting

4.9 • 3.3K Ratings

🗓️ 29 May 2025

⏱️ 57 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Join us for Shakespeare Summer!

When most of us hear the name “Shakespeare,” we probably think back to a high school classroom, fluorescent lights buzzing overhead, while we struggled through Romeo and Juliet line by line—“wherefore art thou” and all that.

But here’s the truth:

Shakespeare was never meant to be dissected like a frog under a microscope.

His work, in fact, was never meant to be read AT ALL. He meant for his plays to be experienced. To be performed, seen, heard, and felt.

We tend to think of Shakespeare as a school subject. Or that we should read it as part of a rich literature curriculum in order for our children to be well-versed academically.

While Shakespeare’s plays are part of a rich literary heritage, I want to make a case today that Shakespeare is not a subject at all. It’s not a thing you “should” do in your homeschool to have well-educated kids.

Today, I want to talk about why experiencing Shakespeare with your kids might be one of the most joyful things you ever do together. And one of my very favorite people, Ken Ludwig, celebrated playwright, fellow Shakespeare nerd, and author of How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare, joins me to help me make my case.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

What traditional classrooms often get wrong when introducing Shakespeare
Why Ken recommends having kids start with reciting and memorizing passages
How Shakespeare provides an entry to point to learning and loving complex language

Learn more about Sarah Mackenzie:

Find the rest of the show notes: readaloudrevival.com/shakespeare-is-not-school

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	We are gearing up around here for a Shakespeare summer, and I want to invite you to join us.
0:09.0	There is nothing, absolutely nothing.
0:12.4	I would rather read aloud and enjoy with my kids than a play of Shakespeare's.
0:17.3	And I am bringing all of my joy for Shakespeare to RAR Premium this summer.
0:22.5	We're diving into a midsummer night's dream.
0:25.5	Enough of you have asked, Sarah, we know you love Shakespeare.
0:28.4	How on earth do you teach your kids to love Shakespeare, too?
0:31.4	And now I'm going to show you step by step.
0:34.2	Think of it as RAR Premium's relaxed and joyful book club style meets one of Shakespeare's
0:41.1	funniest comedies. Honestly, I think Shakespeare Summer is the best program we have ever created at
0:47.8	Read Aloud Revival. I know it's the most fun I've ever had getting it ready. Head to rarprimum.com or text the word Shakespeare to the number 33777 to learn more.
1:06.7	I think when most of us hear the name Shakespeare, we think back to a high school classroom,
1:13.6	fluorescent lights buzzing overhead, while we struggled through reading Romeo and Juliet line by line,
1:22.6	where for art thou and all that? And that's a shame because here's the truth. Shakespeare was never
1:30.8	meant to be dissected like a frog under a microscope. His work, in fact, was never meant to be read
1:38.2	at all. He meant for his plays to be experienced, to be performed, seen, heard, and felt.
1:58.7	Welcome to the Read Aloud Revival podcast. I'm your host, Sarah McKenzie.
2:02.9	Today I want to talk about why experiencing Shakespeare with your kids might be one of the most joyful things you ever do together.
2:11.3	So let's begin by flipping the way we usually think about Shakespeare on its head.
2:18.5	We often think that Shakespeare is a school subject, right?
2:22.2	Or that we should read it as part of a rich literature curriculum for our children to be academically
2:28.0	well versed.
	...

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