As a twenty-seven year veteran English teacher, I now must defend
including Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn in my eighth grade curriculum.    The
rookies on the staff feel that Tom Sawyer is too elementary for eighth
graders  and dated beyond relevance and Huck Finn is too difficult for
this level. Please help me save Tom and Huck.  I'm just an over-the-hill,
biding-my-time English teacher lost in the past unwilling to change. I'm
hoping to amass the support of experts to support my cause.
Thanks, J Tomaszewski