Teaching poetry to really young students... challenge 1million and one. You know how, as a teacher, every so often you have moments in the classroom that really stand out? The kind that if you were keeping a book of all these wonderful moments you would add it in? The kind where you say that you SHOULD be keeping a book of all these wonderful moments? Well today I did indeed have another of those moments.
Ironically, it happened during a lesson with my Year 8 Monnow. A group of children where ability levels and behaviors vary greatly...generally, on the whole most of my lessons with these students have gone smoothly. Inquisitive, shy and very quirky they have been a good group to work with.
Today, while introducing them to the basic rules of sonnets, and having them write them all down in their exercise books, a very philosophical discussion began with simple questions : Why do we have to all these rules, why can't you just write a poem and be done with it? Who gave it this name and these rules? Why do we have all these different types of poems? Can I create my own form of poetry and call it the "jake" ? Who would think that these questions could spark such discussion - to which I felt very ill-equipped to respond, except to cop out with this: Someone much wiser and much smarter than I decided this name and it has existed for a very long time. I learned poetry this way, and now I am teaching it this way to you too. But the discussion just went round and round in a circle...it was quite funny.
I filled them in on my jealousy that they could brag "ownership" of the Bard, to which I was informed I could "have him," and still another comment that I "could buy him." This group brilliantly, and on first pass, fully understood Sonnet 130 on the most basic of levels and could answer all the questions without help! Brilliant!
When talking about the rule for sonnets which require the theme to be one of "love" I had several boys audibly groan and comment: "I suppose we're going to have write our own." Precious. I assured them that not always do sonnets have to be written about "mushy" love - and then I instantly realized my mistake as the lesson then digressed to a conversation about mushy peas and the best fish and chip shop around that I must surely go to, and the driving directions to get there!
The lesson ended with a comment from one student who simply said, "Miss DeJong, do you have to go home to America? You're funny."
One for the books...
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