Dead Poets Society [Paperback]

The bell rang, but not soon enough. “Thank God,” moaned Todd as he piled up his books. “I don’t think I could have taken another minute of that.”

“You’ll get used to old Hager,” Meeks consoled him. “Once you get the pace of it, you’ll do fine.”

“I’m already six paces behind,” Todd groaned as the boys walked together to their next class. He didn’t say another word as they dragged themselves into the English room, dropped their books on their desks, and fell into the seats.

The new English teacher, wearing a shirt and tie but no jacket, sat at the front of the room, staring out the window. The boys settled down and waited, grateful for a moment to relax and shed some of the pressure of the last few hours. Keating continued to stare out the window. The boys started to shuffle uncomfortably.

Finally Keating stood, picked up a yardstick, and started strolling up and down the aisles. He stopped and stared into the face of one of the boys. “Don’t be embarrassed,” he said kindly to the blushing boy.

He continued to move around the room, looking intently at the boys as he walked. “Uh-huh,” he said aloud, looking at Todd Anderson. “Uh-huh,” he repeated, moving toward Neil Perry.

“Ha!” He slapped his free hand with the yardstick and strode forcefully to the front of the room. “Nimble young minds!” Keating shouted, looking around at the class and gesturing with the yardstick.

He jumped dramatically onto his desk and turned to face the class. “‘O Captain! My Captain!’” he recited energetically, then looked around the room. “Who knows where thlC£