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Poetry Slam


Yesterday my students did a poetry slam in each of their classes.  They put their heart and soul into these poems.  I will admit that I was a bit disappointed at the end of the day until I started talking about their poems with a colleague.  Then I remembered how hard they worked and how well they really did.  Not only were they brave, but their poems were awesome.  We had several guests come to our room to watch, and the guests were very complimentary.  Today we had workshop, and a couple of these guest (whom I really respect) once again said great things about the slam.   This evening I started downloading the poems from the video camera to iMovie.   After reviewing the first two classes, I realize that my expectations weren't too high.  They really did a great job yesterday; I was too stressed, wanting everything to be perfect, to realize it at the time.

About thirteen years ago (IDK) when I was teaching in another building, I had a seventh grader who was brilliant.  She was a bit of a rebel, and I was sure she was using.  Frequently, she drew mushrooms and leaves on her papers.  Of course I referred her to the counselors, but I always hoped she'd grow out of it.  Yesterday her brother, who is now in my seventh grade class, performed his poem entitled Heroin.  It was about his big sister and her drug use.  The poem was honest and broke my heart.  I wanted so much more for her.


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