For the
LOVE
Shakespeare
of
Retired Upper St. Clair High School English teacher
Jane Hollman continues to teach Shakespeare as a
volunteer at the USC Rec Center.
BY W.B. FRESA
18 724.942.0940 TO ADVERTISE | Upper St. Clair
T
here are a lot of stories about teachers
inspiring students to do great things.
But it’s not often that the opposite
occurs—a student sparks something in
a teacher that sets his/her career path in
motion. For Jane Hollman, that’s exactly how
her teaching career began.
As a student teacher in the early ’60s,
Hollman was assigned to a rural farm
community. “Only three percent of the
students in that school went on to attend
college,” she says. “And most had never ridden
on an elevator—but that didn’t stop me from
introducing them to ‘Macbeth.’”
It was during this time that one of her
students asked if he could read a soliloquy
from the play. Of course, Hollman obliged.
“I, along with the entire class, listened
to this young boy read aloud. He set it on
fire! It was so beautifully done. The whole
class applauded. This young man hadn’t
studied ‘Macbeth’ or Shakespeare, he just
knew how to do it. And it was then I realized
everyone has the ability to learn and relate to
Shakespeare’s works.”