Before reading the poetry readings for this week, I was thinking back to my days in elementary and high school when I was forced to read and write poetry. I did not particularly enjoy writing them at all. I could listen to poetry and to people sharing their creativity and emotions, but really did not care to ever participate in it myself. I was never a very good creative writer; I would rather write a research paper any day of the week and when my teacher told me to write a poem, that really sent me over the edge. The different kinds were interesting but I did not appreciate some of styles because I knew I enjoyed the typical rhyming pattern with a generally happy subject. I appreciate song lyrics and love music, but always had the worst time when my teacher encouraged my to go about it that way, in an effort to meet my incapacity.
After reading about the benefits and all of the really cool ways that poetry can be presented in schools from the readings this week, I quickly became a huge fan of poetry. I do not think it was presented in the best way at my school. The readings acknowledged kids who do not like or appreciate poems and gave some neat ways to incorporate it into the every day classroom. Students can learn so much from poetry and really get in touch with their own emotions as well as get to know their classmates so much better. It contributes to their literacy development as well as increasing their appreciation for different kinds of expression. In The Joy of Children's Literature when they said "one, two, or even a few poems every day throughout the curriculum over the course of a school year will make a difference" in regards to developing children's interest and literacy development.
As teachers, Reading and English are both very important subjects in school that we should spend sufficient time on, but working books and poems into the curriculum for all subjects can really enhance our students' learning and make them more well-rounded students. I think it would be a great idea to start and end every day with a poem because it could get their minds going in the morning and give them something to think about as they go on into the evenings. I found a really neat website about a movement called Poetry 180. It is designed for high school students and provides 180 poems so that students can have a poem every day of the school year. I think the benefits are limitless and that even if you are not the greatest at writing poetry as I am, all students can learn to appreciate and hopefully enjoy it, and maybe one day come up with their own that they are proud of.
http://www.loc.gov/poetry/180/
I agree, I never used to like to write poetry. I would read in it and school and enjoy it but I felt like I could not write with that sort of emotion. I remember the first time I had to write a very detailed, emotional poem and it was difficult for me. Trying to write down what I felt was hard. It took me a long time to begin the poem but i soon realized once I got going it became really easy. Everything poured out of me and I was excited to read my finished result. Poetry is now something that I appreciate. It is easy for me to write down my emotions and I enjoy reading different forms of poetry. I also believe that it is healthy to be able to express emotion and feel other people's emotion and this is widely demonstrated in poetry.
ReplyDeleteI also struggled with enjoying poetry, and unfortunately still do. I can appreciate it, but sometimes it is hard for me to read poetry and make complete sense of it. I recently just had to write an analysis of a poem, which was a very big obstacle for me to overcome. I think that if I would have had more experience with poetry, it would have been extremely helpful to me. During elementary school all the way through high school the lessons on poetry were always minimal, and dull. So, poems were always an unfamiliar, dreaded subject for me. Through this personal experience, I for sure think it is important to incorporate poetry regularly into school for all grade levels. This allows for students to become familiar with poetry, and enhances their learning.
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