Kids need and deserve good words and safe spaces--

Kids are thirsty for good words. My friend Sarah Audsley was our guest poet in my classes yesterday, and the room was full. Not only my own students, but several who asked to come in, to meet a working poet, and to read and talk about writing and the writing practice. Wow. I think this is a logical swing of the pendulum; for too, too long, kids have been put on laptops and other digital devices, which creates a very strange paradox: they are hyperconnected but incredibly isolated. Sitting in my comfortable space with a kind and generous person, talking in community about the craft and mystery of the work... it was really great. Even the kids who are "not interested" were engaged. One young man who struggles with reading and writing, who is a gentle soul who knows how hard he has to work to write anything, produced a poem that he gave to me to read over. He didn't have to. His chosen topic was hunting. He felt empowered to take the real risk to write and to give it to me to read. Those are all huge things. 

It makes me both sad and angry that these kids have been shut off from poetry for most of their school lives, let alone their personal lives. I am sick to death of the bullshit excuses that center in on test scores and nonfiction reading and practical this and that. Poetry helps prepare kids for all of the reading and writing tasks they will face (rich text, compression, word choice, syntax, grammar, punctuation, subject matter, clarity, speaker, etc.)-- why other teachers (and note, I almost put teachers in quotation marks) have ignored this valuable tool is beyond me. Poetry helps them connect to the world, to their own history, to the world's history, and to themselves--easiest way to model social and emotional learning, cultural values, etc. Why don't they see it? Ugh. My colleagues don't listen. It's frustrating. But the kids do. And that makes it so exciting.

My classroom is a safe space to read, talk, make mistakes, make discoveries, relax into the words and the work, and to consider how we all fit in. I'm so glad to finally have a space that is just mine to create this for them. So many "broken toys"-- kids today have far too much on their plates, and they need a place to just be, sometimes. They can sit and be silent. I put on music most of the time, once any direct instruction or discussion is done; I have eclectic taste, so they never know what's coming. One thing is for sure: it's not music they've heard elsewhere, at least for most of them. I only wish I could have comfy chairs or a small couch-- the fire marshal says no, so that's a pipe dream. But the mood in my room is restful and energizing, and I like it that way. I need it, too.

A classroom doesn't have to be bare and functional. It should feed the minds and hearts of all who enter--teachers included. Not enough is done to ensure the mental and emotional safety of teachers-- a classroom that feels good is a great place to start. 

I hope you have a good day!

C