Teach What You Love?

Of course, I created a Poetry Recitation Unit within the Speech and Drama curriculum. Why wouldn't a poet include what she loves most of all? I spent months researching poems for my children to recite. Clips of "famous" poets reading because one thing I want my students to learn is that there is more than one way to read poems. Not just "Ms. Beck's Way". Many different styles, breath, perspectives to watch, model and learn. And certainly more accomplished, better published and better writers than just their old teacher.

So, imagine my consternation to learn that my students had never even heard of Maya Angelou. What in the what what? It just never occurred to me. Maya Angelou has been a staple of my classroom instruction since the dawn of time. Her picture hangs over my desk and within the collage of images I created on my walls. Never heard of Maya Angelou? How can that be?

Now, I do have one student whose mother is absolutely thrilled her daughter is reading "Phenomenal Woman". That was quite heartening. But, the other young women just looked at me with a blank stare. Of course, I assigned them the task of researching this poet with their parent for today. I don't have computers in my classroom or I would have directed them immediately to research. But, that's a topic for another essay.

The point is... sometimes it's hard to teach what you absolutely love because when the work is not respected as you hoped, it can be rather demoralizing. However, how grateful I am to introduce my students to Gwendolyn Brooks, Nikky Finney, Juan Felipe Herrera, Richard Blanco, Matthew Zapruder, John Ashbery, Sandra Cisneros, Langston Hughes, Robert Frost, Emily Dickinson, Frank X Walker and Bianca Spriggs. Local poets mixed in with nationally renowned poets. Everything in between.

The sixth graders are doing their own exploration of Shel Silverstein. I decided that because I always teach kids to NOT rhyme in poetry because they'll sound like Dr. Seusss, they should hear what good rhyming poetry can sound like. And, because the content is perfect for these young, young kids. I always forget how young they are. Have learned a lot from this first quarter class.

I just pray that planting these seeds will take root as they grow. Exposing them to the world's most beautiful poetry cannot be a bad thing. It's just taking a bit of a toll on this poet's soul. But, once they recite their poems... I just know it will be all worth it.

New Quarter

As I spend my Saturday planning the last unit of the Speech and Drama nine week elective course, I must admit my feelings of sadness. Here's the thing. I love my pickles. It takes a few weeks to bond (let alone to learn all of their names: ha!) and now... in two short weeks, I must bid farewell and greet a whole new batch of pickles. Sigh.

I guess "da flip side" of this situation would be if I had a group of pickles who I did not like... every nine weeks, I get rid of them and get a "do-over". But, alas. I haven't met a class I haven't adored. What in the what what is wrong with me anyway? I just get so attached to my kids. The more I learn about them, the more I love them. We've bonded. They've "gotten" all of my procedures and quirks and rhythms in the classroom. Oh, if only this course was even a semester long... how much more deeply into the curriculum we could delve.

Because I am "creating" this curriculum, it is quite a dynamic process. I find these awesome opportunities (educable moments) as I go along and it's not uncommon for me to be pulling up research and lessons even an hour before class filters into my room. So, I guess from that perspective, the cyclical nature of the rotating nine weeks is good because this quarter will be even better and more polished than last quarter and next quarter, I hope to achieve mastery. Perhaps there's a nostalgia for this "first" group because they were my "test" group. I "tested out" some lesson plans. Some I will toss away completely. Others, I will repeat. I have such an affection for this first group for being so responsive to whatever it is I created and "tried out".

But, it's not as if I won't see these first quarter pickles in school or that I won't have opportunity to teach them again in seventh grade (if they're sixth graders now) and eighth grade (if they're seventh graders now)... but still.

I'm going to miss this first quarter group so much. With that, I take a deep breath and look forward to greeting a whole new class of shining happy faces.