Say the word
POETRY
Hear the responses
What?
NO!
Why?
Seriously?!
See the reactions
Scrunched foreheads
Evil eyes
Hunched shoulders
Heads down
Explain the plan
April is
POETRY month
Daily reading
Daily writing
Of POETRY
Scan my students
Not happy
Angry even
In my head
Suck it up
Why the hostility?
Begin day one
Immersion
Groans
Technology
Moans
Books
Ignore
Day two comes
Just surround them
Groans
Change out websites
Moans
Find new books
Ignore
Day three arrives
Students see
Links missing
Books gone
Smug smiles
They think they’ve won
Day four changes
QR codes plaster walls
Moving, scanning, laughing, chatting
30 minutes---time’s up
What?
NO!
Why?
Seriously?!
Let’s move on.
Day five surprises
Rushing, scanning, smiling, sharing
Chimes ring; students gather
What poems stood out?
You mean from earlier?
No; today and yesterday.
Poems? No--they’re songs!
But songs are poems
What? NO! Why? Seriously?!
Smug smile.
I know I’ve won!
Wendy teaches in a fifth and sixth grade looping classroom in Gillette, Wyoming. This is her eighteenth year as a teacher and first year as a Teacher Consultant for the National Writing Project. She loves her husband, reading, writing, cooking, eating, and traveling. You can find her on Twitter at @wluvs2teach and on her blog at www.chaulk-it-up.blogspot.com.
This is such a fun post, Wendy! I think you've captured the experience of many teachers and students perfectly. Thank you for blogging with us again!
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