Poetry is a Sign of Hope by Jen Greene

Poetry is a divisive genre.  Some people hate it, others love it. Kids (and adults) moan and groan at the thought of reading or writing poetry.  To get a read on the room, I always start my poetry unit by asking my second graders to complete the sentence, “Poetry is…”  This year, one student answered, “a sign of hope.”  I was astounded by the insight of a kid who is seven years old. It made me think. 

Poetry is indeed a sign of hope.  It is an underestimated form of expression. 

When you write a poem you make the rules.  You decide grammar and stanzas and punctuation. 

Your choices express who you are and how you feel.  That individual expression is needed, maybe now more than ever. With all of the marches and movements sweeping the nation, one idea that rings true is that of voice.  Poetry can be that vehicle that allows you to use your voice to stand up for what you believe. And poetry can be a way to tell children, women, and anyone who feels marginalized that your voice matters. 

If you are a teacher who dreads writing poetry with your students, try this simple task: Ask your students what matters to them.  Maybe your students have thoughts about gun control or who to ask to prom.  Maybe what matters is where their next meal is coming from or how to avoid that bully on the bus.  Maybe they’re worried about struggling to read as well as their friends or how to convince their parents to stop yelling at each other.  Big or small, the thoughts that consume the minds of students matter. Sharing their voice through poetry will help students view their poems as a sign of hope.  A sign that they are not alone. Their voice matters.


Jen Greene is an elementary school teacher in the West Chester Area School District in West Chester, PA.  She is a fellow with the PA Writing and Literature Project (PAWLP) and a doctoral student at Widener University.  You can find her on Twitter @GreeneMachine82.