i foUnd A poeM

I don't know how many of you are teachers out there, but let me tell you- it doesn't matter how much of a poet you may be, teaching poetry ain't no walk in the park.

I've been writing poetry since I was in Grade 8, which is quite a while ago. It started with a poetry anthology project in my English class and it was when I learned I could escape into my own words and worlds rather than participate in reality.

Grade 8 was really hard. The school I had gone to for seven years had closed down due to lack of funding and students, and my friends and I were all split and scattered to neighboring schools. My school sucked. But this one dumb assignment introduced me to something that would quickly become a part of my identity.

I am a poet.

Poetry kept me breathing through high school. In a way, it still keeps me breathing, any time I feel the "too much" and "everything" sitting heavy on my heart or blocking my windpipes.

But now as a elementary teacher it is my turn to pass on the poetic knowledge to my students. And it is hard.

Writing poetry is very different from teaching poetry.

And teaching poetry is dull.

I didn't get into poetry when I was a kid because of how it was taught. I got into poetry because I needed to talk about all the shit in my life and didn't know who to turn to.

As a teacher, you need to teach all the poetic devices, analyzing poetry, theme, voice, etc. etc. Teaching how to express your pain is a whole other story- and also not really a curriculum requirement. (Though I bet it would help with a lot of the teenage angst later)

So this year I decided to do a few things with my students for poetry. We learned a few poetic devices like alliteration, onomatopoeia, imagery, and repetition. Yes, I know there are many more, but I wanted my students to have a chance at actually being able to identify a few, and not just go on a scavenger hunt for every single one. Peter Piper, Peter Piper, Peter Piper picked his stuffy nose- SQUISH.

Then we learned a few poetry styles like haikus, free verse, spoken word, shape poems, blackout, and found poems.

And did you know Vocal, that many of the haikus (all of them really) came from you? #shoutouttohaikuchallenges

And as a poet myself, obviously I had to write poetry with my students! Haikus were a lot of fun.

But Found poems were when some really unique poems were born, and not just my own. I had a student who really got hooked and created some really beautiful poetry- poetry that makes you think.

I also Found a poem that made me think- a revolutionary resurgence.

And I learned that experimenting with various forms of writing can really get your inspiration going. At the time of our class poetry unit I was as far from poetry as I could get. I didn't want to connect, I didn't want to bare any vulnerability. Poetry was on the backburner and I had too many emotions going undealt with. But when you are creating art with kids, you don't always notice what spills out of you. And so, I found my entry point back to poetry- and back to connecting with myself.

I am a poet.

Even on days that I avoid any reflective surface. Even on days that the howling arctic winds are secondary to my howling mind. Even on days when silence is easier than acknowledgement.

Sometimes I just don't want to talk. Or write. And that's okay.

Sometimes it's just cut up words on construction paper. And sometimes, I move the hands of time and create a colorful show on canvas.