Why am I teaching the class that everyone
HATES?
English Class Sucks.
First Day:
Students enter my morgue
solemnly pulling pen and paper
they seek friends afterall...
Misery loves company.
Boredom seeps from bookbags
Anger stems from bad experiences before.
All English teachers must be alike;
Ineffective
People think I suck because their other teachers did.
Books Suck / Writing is Stupid / Reading is overrated / Homework is dumb
Other than on her birthday, when does knowing Grammar matter?
What makes this subject so important that students must spend
all four years doing this?
It is crazy / stupid / asenine
They enter.
Before
I have a chance
to say helo
Be friendly
Offer a smile
Speak with words of encouragement
Listen to their voices
The Hate Me
I see that the next 180 days will be painful.
Change their minds?
It might be easier to change the world...
But I'm still here - focusing on one student at a time
It must mean something.
Wednesday, April 1
Tuesday, March 24
What You Think
I have
no friends
no family
no interests
no hobbies
no pets
I have
no income
no truck
no hunger
no needs
I have
no humor
no patience
no kindness
For I Am A ...
TEACHER
Loser of the Planet
Nerd of the Universe
My lifelong dream is to
correct papers
plan lessons
beg you to do your work
wrestle with you to Think
Weekly~Daily~Hourly
So
When you think I have no
life- Understand
this is my choice.
To Be Here.
Nothing Else as far as you think...
No Life.
other than school
this room
this desk
this pen
this poem
Your Brain
Your Success
That is what
I think...
Monday, March 16
slam poets - from class
Corbet Dean
Dave Chapelle
Peter Neveland
Paper Girl
Jon Wolf
Scratch & Dent Dreams - Eric Darby
Taylor Mali
Shane Kaoyczan
Andy Hall
Dave Chapelle
Peter Neveland
Paper Girl
Jon Wolf
Scratch & Dent Dreams - Eric Darby
Taylor Mali
Shane Kaoyczan
Andy Hall
Saturday, March 7
Thursday, February 26
Popcorn Tears
Gramps
quiet strength
calm patience
green hornet's
driving lessons
historic westerns
cherry trees
baseball games
yellowed cushions
he knew my scores and was always up on the records
he laughed at all of my jokes
Gramps
popcorn tears and oatmeal laughter
the last thing I have of him is gone.
Don't ask me why I cry.
Answers tend to confuse the memories
explained.
So quick to judge the intention of a tear.
So quick to disregard other's sorrow.
Why can't you just look at me, listen to my story and leave your judgment outside.
All I need right now is a friend.
Understand when you come upstairs and
find me sobbing over a bowl of popcorn, it isn't
the bowl.
the freshly made corn.
the butter loaded to
mask the burnt taste.
Look at that popper.
Useless piece of crap.
Why is it that I chose an appliance to hold my memories?
Gramps
Twenty years ago
would have oatmeal for breakfast and popcorn after dinner.
Every morning and every
night.
In between he would be outside working
or inside
in the living room
reading,
far away
from Grandma.
Growing up I began to understand
their love
understated for each other
a convenience
or a duty
but for
ME
unconditional
all that is right with the world
showed me so much
homemade root beer
ripe raspberries
digging brought magic in potatoes
hockey players appreciate unwavering devotion
the pleasures of roses and lilacs.
Gramps died.
He legacy was twofold ...
unforgettable memories
of a quiet man's genuine interest in a teenager trying to fit into this difficult world
listening to the seemingly bland stories of my day
AND
that damn popcorn popper.
Every time I used it, I felt him
sitting there
watching me instead of his Louis L'Amour
waiting
for me to share the moment
with him.
So don't judge my popcorn tears.
Just comprehend
why
the hot air
tastes
so much
better.
quiet strength
calm patience
green hornet's
driving lessons
historic westerns
cherry trees
baseball games
yellowed cushions
he knew my scores and was always up on the records
he laughed at all of my jokes
Gramps
popcorn tears and oatmeal laughter
the last thing I have of him is gone.
Don't ask me why I cry.
Answers tend to confuse the memories
explained.
So quick to judge the intention of a tear.
So quick to disregard other's sorrow.
Why can't you just look at me, listen to my story and leave your judgment outside.
All I need right now is a friend.
Understand when you come upstairs and
find me sobbing over a bowl of popcorn, it isn't
the bowl.
the freshly made corn.
the butter loaded to
mask the burnt taste.
Look at that popper.
Useless piece of crap.
Why is it that I chose an appliance to hold my memories?
Gramps
Twenty years ago
would have oatmeal for breakfast and popcorn after dinner.
Every morning and every
night.
In between he would be outside working
or inside
in the living room
reading,
far away
from Grandma.
Growing up I began to understand
their love
understated for each other
a convenience
or a duty
but for
ME
unconditional
all that is right with the world
showed me so much
homemade root beer
ripe raspberries
digging brought magic in potatoes
hockey players appreciate unwavering devotion
the pleasures of roses and lilacs.
Gramps died.
He legacy was twofold ...
unforgettable memories
of a quiet man's genuine interest in a teenager trying to fit into this difficult world
listening to the seemingly bland stories of my day
AND
that damn popcorn popper.
Every time I used it, I felt him
sitting there
watching me instead of his Louis L'Amour
waiting
for me to share the moment
with him.
So don't judge my popcorn tears.
Just comprehend
why
the hot air
tastes
so much
better.
Wednesday, February 25
wistful memory...
Regrets?
Celia
You grew up speaking Polish
You grew up dancing Polish
You grew up singing Polish
~~
Why were you so silent when you were grown?
Stasia
She remembers the twenty-five dollar piano
She remembers the opera with Grandpa
She remembers the cornmeal floor for the Boston Fancy
~~
Why were you so silent when you were grown?
Me
I wish it was you who smiled through the songs reminding of lost love
I wish it was you who remembers your mother's Polish lullabies
I wish it was you who sang to me at 97.
Now you are silent.
I am grown
and
missed your songs
- LLS 2007
Classroom Rationale
My Attempt to Slam Poetry Into My Students
Poetry is one of my favorite subjects to teach. But when in the past I
have taught poetry, I usually focus on form and function rather than
concepts and feeling. After my graduate work I have so many ideas
regarding how to incorporate poetry into my classroom in new and
different ways. I currently teach high school English that is a new position
for me this year. My general focus has been on understanding and
implementing the current curriculum. However one of my assignments
was to attend a slam poetry event. My focus has changed as a result of this.
One thing all of my students have in common is that they have
something to say. Unfortunately, there don’t seem to be as many outlets for
expressing these thoughts, ideas and feelings. Spoken poetry is meant to
be shared out loud and it usually is raw, engaging and definitely has
something to say. This is perfect for my assignment.
The day following my slam poetry event, I emailed Port Veritas (a
local slam poetry organization) to see if they would come to my school.
There reply was energizing:
“In general there are three ways to do a school workshop:
1. We do a general assembly (or single class meeting). We talk a bit
about what Slam is, where it came from and how to participate.
During this we perform some pieces. This is often followed by a
mock slam in which we compete against each other and the students
judge.
Poetry Presentation L. Stein
2. Essentially the same as one. However we have the students
compete and students or teachers judge.
3. Also the same as one but without the slam. Instead we spend the
last portion of the workshop working with students on their writing
and or performance.
In the past we have done these with either a large assembly or with
each individual class throughout the day. Whatever works best for
you. Let me know your thoughts and we'll see what we can come up
with.
Thanks for your interest. I look forward to hearing from you.”
I have spoken to my principal and I am going to make it happen. We
are working on dates now for March. Up to that time I plan to read and
share Geof Hewitt’s slam poetry guide. I am also working to add young
adult appropriate slam literature in my classroom. I have been researching
Taylor Mali (a great teacher slam poet) and plan to share his poetry from
‘YouTube’ with my classes.
Many students tend to dislike poetry. I find using any hook I can to
get them to appreciate the genre is worthwhile. Sure, slam poetry might
not involve direct study of the poetry classics, but students will have an
opportunity to play with the art form, appreciate words, and compete in
front of an audience. If I can get the students jazzed up about this poetic
genre then we can move onto the more traditional writing.
Poetry is one of my favorite subjects to teach. But when in the past I
have taught poetry, I usually focus on form and function rather than
concepts and feeling. After my graduate work I have so many ideas
regarding how to incorporate poetry into my classroom in new and
different ways. I currently teach high school English that is a new position
for me this year. My general focus has been on understanding and
implementing the current curriculum. However one of my assignments
was to attend a slam poetry event. My focus has changed as a result of this.
One thing all of my students have in common is that they have
something to say. Unfortunately, there don’t seem to be as many outlets for
expressing these thoughts, ideas and feelings. Spoken poetry is meant to
be shared out loud and it usually is raw, engaging and definitely has
something to say. This is perfect for my assignment.
The day following my slam poetry event, I emailed Port Veritas (a
local slam poetry organization) to see if they would come to my school.
There reply was energizing:
“In general there are three ways to do a school workshop:
1. We do a general assembly (or single class meeting). We talk a bit
about what Slam is, where it came from and how to participate.
During this we perform some pieces. This is often followed by a
mock slam in which we compete against each other and the students
judge.
Poetry Presentation L. Stein
2. Essentially the same as one. However we have the students
compete and students or teachers judge.
3. Also the same as one but without the slam. Instead we spend the
last portion of the workshop working with students on their writing
and or performance.
In the past we have done these with either a large assembly or with
each individual class throughout the day. Whatever works best for
you. Let me know your thoughts and we'll see what we can come up
with.
Thanks for your interest. I look forward to hearing from you.”
I have spoken to my principal and I am going to make it happen. We
are working on dates now for March. Up to that time I plan to read and
share Geof Hewitt’s slam poetry guide. I am also working to add young
adult appropriate slam literature in my classroom. I have been researching
Taylor Mali (a great teacher slam poet) and plan to share his poetry from
‘YouTube’ with my classes.
Many students tend to dislike poetry. I find using any hook I can to
get them to appreciate the genre is worthwhile. Sure, slam poetry might
not involve direct study of the poetry classics, but students will have an
opportunity to play with the art form, appreciate words, and compete in
front of an audience. If I can get the students jazzed up about this poetic
genre then we can move onto the more traditional writing.
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