INVESTITURE AND DIVESTITURE IN ENGLISH CLASS

Since I discovered recently that the etymology of the word “invest” suggests a putting on of clothes (L. vestis, clothing), I’ve been thinking about my classes as a type of investment for the students. If we think of thoughts as the clothing our minds put on, I hope the students can leave each class wearing a brand new outfit of ideas. Hopefully every time they come to my class they can take off an old belief or two and dress themselves in a fresh and stylish one. We might even think of English class as a ritual of divestiture and investiture, in which old ways of thinking are officially taken off and set aside, and new robes of advanced thinking are ceremoniously donned. In this way, the students have a chance to feel special in each class, like they might feel when they put on a startling new shirt.