Three years ago, we laid out an ambitious but necessary plan. Acutely aware that our Student Writing Intensive and Student Intensive Continuation Course videos were not only looking dated but were doomed as unstreamable, we knew we had to redo or replace those core products—sooner rather than later. Oddly, I was somewhat afraid to do so, given the many years of strong sales, successful students, and grateful parents. But I knew it was true. Thus, we came up with the idea of what we jokingly called “The Big Show,” a project that would require not only dedicated studio space, but also cutting-edge equipment as well as an expanded production team. After all, if we were going to do it, we had to do it right.
At first, it seemed completely overwhelming. Our plan was to record three one to one-and-a-half-hour classes every Tuesday, for twenty-four weeks, for two years—or three. Requiring completely original source texts, customized checklists, and especially new jokes, the prep work was going to be a significant investment of time. Definitely, it had to be recorded live, which meant recruiting over three dozen students (and their moms!) who would commit to the project by not only showing up on time every week and doing all the homework, but also—with extraordinary attentiveness and stamina—by enduring close-up camera angles, stage direction, technical difficulties, and countless retakes. I doubt they knew what they were getting into.
The studio design and set-up went well: lights (a lot of lights!), cameras, tripods, microphones (a lot of microphones!), tables and chairs, a lovely large free-standing whiteboard, curtains, stage walls, and a beautiful world map—pretty much a perfect space. I remember the first day and the look of awe on the faces of many of the students as they took their seats; this was serious business!
A team effort, the writing of source texts became a process of innovation and discovery. We wanted the articles, stories, pictures, and research materials to be engaging, informative, and timeless. Themes emerged. While with Year 1 Level A we used the thread of deserts, Level B texts were connected by geography, and Level C unexpectedly and most delightfully grew around the motif of pirates. Everything was meticulously researched and edited. Not surprisingly, we all learned a plethora of interesting facts about animals (such as the blue-ringed octopus and the Komodo dragon), the journeys of Marco Polo, and the amazing story of Julius Caesar being captured by pirates on his way to rhetoric school. To provide a complete list here would require too much space, but in short, the things we read, discussed, and wrote about were both enchanting and appropriately challenging.
Known for starting every class with a bit of humor, I used my best jokes. Some evoked a better reaction than others. Overall the jokes were greatly anticipated. Some of the students even started making key word outlines as I told the jokes so they could remember and retell them to siblings and parents later on. However, I rapidly exhausted my repertoire and had to search for new ones. Stubbornly determined to never use the same one twice, I eventually collected up over 150 different jokes and now probably have enough material for hours of stand-up comedy!
