Seventh grade, for me, was a huge turning point in my life. I had “Steve” for a teacher-- a self-identified hippie who told his class to call him by his first name, and that whenever we wanted, to just pick up a book and go outside and read. It was a class of 15 students, many of whom I am still in contact with.
Seventh grade was the year I discovered poetry. Around that time, a wonderful poetry book called, Reflections on a Gift of Watermelon Pickle was in the Scholastic book order. Since I bought almost all the books in each order, I made my way through that book. It still holds its charm to the students, and I use that book in my poetry unit.
What that book did for me was teach me that poems are just playing with words. They are word games that bring pleasure. They are only as stuffy as you want to make them, and they are accessible to anyone who can understand the words. Once I started teaching, I discovered the fascinating world of Shel Silverstein, who gave me the tools to hook a whole new generation on poetry, even earlier than I was hooked.
The last three weeks have been a delight in the class. Generally, when told that they will read and write poetry, students inwardly, and sometimes, outwardly, groan. Not this group. In this class, all three sections, the sixth and seventh graders attacked the various poems and the book project with no complaints. Beyond that, though, each day I saw some things that made me smile, and every once in awhile, things that made me blink back a few tears.
Sometimes, three people to a computer, sharing poetry and asking for ideas. Not content to do the minimum, they wanted their poetry to say something about themselves-- rhyme was important, but meter and meaning was important, as well. The understanding of the various literary devices available to them was demonstrated in the poems they wrote.
What I loved most, though, was that they had fun. The poems made them laugh and think. They were collaborative instead of being written in solitude, and I think the poems are better for it. Mostly, though, the kids got that poetry is fun. It is play with a serious result, and sometimes it is a way to express what can't be expressed any other way.
I am hoping to publish most of these poems in a book for you to purchase, either at cost, or as a fund raiser. One of the students will be in charge of the project, and all of us will help. I think that we can make an attractive keepsake for about $2 or $3 each, then charge a bit more to make some money for whatever charity they choose.
I hope the poetry book idea excites you as it does me. These kids really are great writers.
