contacting people.

So I have been working on contacting all of my people.
This is basically what I have been emailing them --of course updated to fit them:

"Hello,

I am a student studying to become an English teacher in Utah at Brigham Young University. Currently I am in a class studying Shakespeare. I am doing some research and looking into the methods that are used in teaching the bard. I am looking to and making an argument that Shakespeare teaching needs to be changed from the current and traditional way that is being used. I have read many of your articles from the Folger blog and have even discussed you on my class project blog (pinatara382.blogspot.com). I feel that you have some great insight into this topic and some very valid ideas and topics.

My thesis I am working towards is that the teaching of Shakespeare should be more of a spiral or scaffolding approach and needs to be much more hands on. I have heard this idea that when teaching a play a teacher should breeze over a big chunk and then focus in on a little important chunk. I also think that teaching Shakespeare needs to be updated with working in the 21st technology we have. I think that teachers could almost teach everything with in the curriculum by simply deeply exploring a play so that students are very comfortable with it. Right now I feel that teacher just breeze over a play to say they read it with out working with students to really get into it to an extent. Otherwise, if teachers do not implement these ideas, I feel that Shakespeare study in schools may completely fade out because our new age brains can't seem to handle the current methods of just simply reading it.

Would you be will to share some insights towards my working thesis and ideas if you have a moment to spare? Or even if you have some good sources that I may be interested in I would gladly welcome that as well. I also encourage you to take a look at my blog as well if you have time and feel free to comment there if anything jumps out at you.

Thank you so much for your time and effort. I look forward to hearing back from you!"

So far I have met with Dr. Sirpa Grierson in our BYU English teaching department.

I have emailed:

Mike Lo Monico who writes on the Folger Shakespeare Education blog and has mention many things concerning the change of teaching Shakespeare

Christy Desmet who is a professor of Shakespeare for over 25 years AND!!! she teaches a class at her university specifically for educators called "Shakespeare in the Classroom"!!!!!!!!!!!! I was so excited when I realized this!

I also contacted many of the authors from the NCTE English Journal, Vol. 99, No. 1, September 2009

I have stumbled across Dana Huff's website many times and saw she had a page all about Shakespeare so I emailed her

I found this really cool Shakespeare in Bits program that is an interactive program that students and teachers can use to read Shakespeare. I tried emailing them, but I dont know if I will get through to the creators.

I am excited to hear back! It is really nerve racking though!