Look, I’m knee deep in the end of the quarter. That means annoying but necessary meetings and too much grading. It also means a little burnout. Couple that with some other things that I prefer to give my attention to, and the recipe is one highly distracted professor. I don’t want to profess anything. I just want to be left alone to play.
I intentionally time my end of term ennui with the poetry unit for several reasons. One, I don’t want to work too hard. Two, I want to play with what I love: poetry. Three, my students have decided to trust me and stay (or they don’t trust me, and have bailed). When those three things happen at the same time, we do poetry. My way. No recitations. No rhyme schemes and counting syllables (well, there’s always a joker that writes off-color limericks). Instead, I have students select any 5 poems from the hundreds in the book, and share them with the class. All they have to do is find something to accompany the presentation of the poems. I encourage them to be creative and think outside the box. I’ve gotten amazing things…musicians who write music for the words — artists who paint pictures — rappers who perform the poems. It is a very interesting leap of faith that can only happen at the end of the course.
I am ALWAYS pleasantly surprised. Yesterday, a delightful woman, maybe a few years older than me, presented a beautiful tribute to her children. She found poems that captured their personalities and she wove a story about them throughout the presentation of her selections. Finally, she ended with this video, which is a mother reading the things her son said as a child. It is called a “found poem.” They are fun to construct. The idea is that you look for words and phrases as they exist when you find them, and you put them together in a meaningful way. I am startled at the depth of the conclusion in this found poem constructed by Naomi Shihab Nye from her son’s statements. Enjoy it.
It reminds me of Sarah Reinhard’s tweets.
That is awesome! Thanks for sharing it with us! ♥
Mom, you’re so awesome.
Wonderful!
I read one of her books in college. It was part of my Asian American Women literature class.
That was great! One of my favorite projects was in my High School Senior honors English class. We were assigned to pick a theme and create a minimum of 4 combined different types of literature/visual around that theme. I chose “fear” and turned in a sonnet, short-story, original art, and selected music — oh, and because I was/am an over achieving perfectionist — did a 5th piece — a second poem. I loved my Literature courses. I also did my term paper that year on Stephen Crane.
It’s neat to see that this woman’s project has affected a new layer of people. Cool!
that, just rocked the Bro! tks
I’m doing poetry also with about the same sort of students… those who trusted and worked. and, of course, I now have a chance to grade the stacks of papers, real and virtual, that are floating around…
Oh my goodness! That reminds me of my tweets too! I guess I’d better get on that poetry thing, huh?
🙂