Quote on a New Orleans Setting from The Moviegoer by Walker Percy

The Moviegoer

The swamps are still burning at Chef Menteur and the sky over Gentilly is the color of ashes (p.17). 

Walker Percy, American Novelist and Writer 1916-1990

Walker Percy. The Moviegoer. Bantam Paperback. 1960

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Icarus Falls to his Death; a Cautionary Tale from Greek Mythology

"Icarus" by Henri Matisse

How many stories exist about a father who loses his son? How many tales recount a son who falls away from his father? Throughout literature, how often do we encounter the theme of a flawed father whose ambition causes him to lose sight of what’s closest to him—or a son whose first taste of freedom is so great, he cannot contain it?

Visualizing the Story of Icarus in Art

Image source: Icarus (from the Four Disgracers) by Hendrick Goltzius, 1588.

The myth of Daedalus and Icarus is one such story—a cautionary tale originating from Crete in the Eastern Mediterranean. Thanks to writers like Ovid and Apollodorus, this myth has survived for millennia. In both versions, the essential plot remains: Icarus, the son, is ultimately undone by his own ambition. His tragic fall has been memorialized in art and literature ever since.

At the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, you can view Hendrick Goltzius’s engraving of Icarus from his series, “The Four Disgracers.” Here, Icarus is depicted plummeting, his body monstrous and his expression a blend of rage and regret. His father, Daedalus, is distant in the composition—still flying while Icarus is banished by the sun’s blazing glory. Goltzius captures the tragic moment, forever suspending Icarus between hope and doom.

In Célestin Nanteuil’s depiction, Icarus appears as a fallen angel—wings broken, body delicate, lying lifeless on the rocks beside the sea. Here, the tragedy is more peaceful, yet no less poignant.

Kid Icarus from Nintendo

Before I learned about Greek myth, my brothers and I played Kid Icarus on Nintendo. In the game, a boy-angel named Pit struggles to fly, searching for agency and purpose. The game bears little resemblance to the original myth—except for the wings. Unlike Pit, Icarus of myth is trapped by the limits set by his father, and the story becomes a meditation on family, agency, and the hazards of reckless freedom.

The Origin Story of Daedalus Foreshadows the Fate of Icarus

Film still from Jim Henson's "Storyteller" version of the Icarus myth

According to some sources, Daedalus, Icarus’s father, fled Athens for Crete after causing his nephew’s death. In the Storyteller adaptation by Jim Henson Studios, this moment of envy and loss haunts Daedalus, foreshadowing Icarus’s fate. In Crete, Daedalus builds the Labyrinth for King Minos and is eventually imprisoned with his son. Their dramatic escape—on wings fashioned from wax and feathers—becomes the heart of the myth. Daedalus warns Icarus: fly too low and the sea’s spray will weigh you down; fly too high and the sun will melt your wings. Of course, like most teenagers, Icarus cannot resist. The taste of freedom is too sweet.

What is the Moral of this Greek Myth?
Traditionally, the myth of Icarus is a warning: ignoring wise advice leads to disaster. But as storytellers like Henson suggest, the tragedy is also inherited—Daedalus’s own failings shape Icarus’s fate. It recalls the story of Abraham and Isaac, and the universal question: must the son pay for the sins of the father? This timeless myth invites us to imagine a different ending—one of redemption, not just ruin.

The Story of Icarus Resonates With Me Personally
The struggle for agency—breaking away from the nest—is a universal experience. From the Christian parable of the Prodigal Son to the modern classroom, we are all seeking both freedom and belonging. As a teacher, I’ve returned to this myth many times. My students always ask, “Why didn’t Icarus just use better glue?” A fair question!

Teaching the Myth of Icarus and Daedalus in Middle and High School
The myth of Icarus and Daedalus remains powerful for students today. I’ve created a classroom-ready 3-day lesson plan that you can use with any text version of the story, guiding students through close reading, visual analysis, and creative writing. Artistic retellings—from Goltzius to Nintendo—invite deep discussion and critical thinking.

Classroom Resource: Daedalus & the Labyrinth

Dive deeper into the myth with this interactive, standards-aligned resource!
Perfect for ELA and Humanities teachers, this lesson features readings, visual organizers, critical thinking questions, and creative writing prompts—all inspired by Daedalus and his legendary maze.

Explore more resources for teaching mythology and literature at Stones of Erasmus on TpT!

On Being Unfinished: Reflection On Starting Something You Never Completed

Michelangelo never finished this sculpture of a
crouching boy intended for a decoration in the
Medici Chapel of San Lorenzo in Florence.
source: wikimedia 

Reflection: How many times have you started something you never finished? Probably a lot. And what does “Being Unfinished” say about you?
The Unfinished Professional (For me that's being a teacher)
As a teacher, I start projects I never finish. I have a folder on Google Drive of several unfinished projects. There is a unit on Charlotte's Web I haven't yet completed and my Google Keep is filled with ideas I have not yet implemented. I have tests that are half-completed. I have units that are missing chapters. I have lesson plans that are missing lessons; and, I have piles of unsorted papers on my desk. I have projects without rubrics and I have rubrics without projects (really). I have quizzes I never graded, assignments I never checked, units I never finished. In my mind there is an imaginary Google Drive folder that contains all of the lessons, rubrics, tests, and quizzes I'll ever need. Will this  imaginary folder ever become reality?

The Unfinished Person (For me that's being a bit creative)
My unfinished teaching bleeds into my unfinished creative life, too. There are books I never finished reading and unfinished puzzles lying on the floor of my closet. I have a coloring book from my childhood that has two or three pages colored. I bought an adult coloring book for Christmas (A gift to myself) but I never started it. It's quite beautiful, really. The pages are a display of black lines and clear, empty spaces. I have one-hundred pages of a novel I was trying to write last Summer that still sits unfinished in a Manila envelope in my desk's third drawer. Work often brings me dread because I am caught thinking of work I have not finished. There are letters I want to write to friends and emails that have gone unsent (I am embarrassed to show you my drafts folder). But, what does being unfinished really say about a person?

Having unfinished projects probably means:

• You are always thinking
• You enjoy work but dread it at the same time
• You like to be creative
• You enjoy the process
• You are a maker
• You are productive
• You are seldom bored
• You value ideas
• You keep to-do lists
• You have a TON of FINISHED projects 

Consider:
Think about the projects you have completed. What do they say about you? What projects have you started that have gone unfinished? Do you judge yourself more harshly than you judge others? Let us know in the comments.

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Ten Things to Do in New Orleans for First-Time Visitors (From a Former New Orleanian)

What to do if you find yourself in New Orleans? Here are my top-ten fun things to do in the city that care forgot.

Photo by Stephen Walker on Unsplash

Since I am from the New Orleans metropolitan area, friends, co-workers, and other such folks (who have never visited the Crescent City) often ask me for my advice on things to do and places to see. Last Summer, I hosted teacher friends from China who were in town to visit and it made me think about formalizing a list for first-time visitors. So here it is!

New Orleans has been governed by the Spanish,
 the French, and the Americans in its long history.

FYI: New Orleans’s number one export other than oil is tourism. Except maybe for mid-August when even the locals complain it’s too dang hot - the city is abuzz with activity. My list just touches the tip of the NOLA iceberg. I do not even mention the numerous festivals and events that converge on the city each calendar year — Jazz Fest in May, Mardi Gras in February or March, and Southern Decadence for Labor Day — just to name a couple of popular events that pop into my head.

      Additionally, my list does not go beyond the traditional - so I don't mention trending spots or places that I have never visited. I lived in New Orleans as an adult for several years, and growing up I lived in the suburbs west and north of Lake Pontchartrain (in Saint John the Baptist and Saint Tammany Parishes, respectively). So I hope you enjoy the list and maybe you have your own contributions - which you should add in the comment section below.
Here's my unofficial list of things to do in New Orleans for first-time visitors:

Teaching Research Skills to Fifth and Sixth Graders

I teach fifth and sixth graders once a week a class on research and study skills. We meet in the school’s computer lab. Lately, I have been hooked on showing kids how to find information outside of the traditional “Google search.”

I love how kids know how to “google,” but they typically don’t know how to go deeper than the first page results of a search engine. So I have introduced them to Britannica School.

So, you don’t have to dust off those old copies of Encyclopedia Britannica. In the State of New York, residents with a computer and access to the Internet can get their hands on of Britannica School online. In our weekly and bi-weekly Research classes, kids have accessed the site through NOVELNY (New York Online Electronic Library). After creating individual accounts, we explored the online database’s many features - including full-text articles, images, and fun, engaging videos. It is expert content right at our fingertips - and students can research by adding materials to a digital folder. Look out world! Life-long learners are out and about.

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