Poetry---> "Thoughts From Me Right To Your Heart"

Chapter One: Writing Poetry 
 
"We don't build communities instead of working on academics. We build communities while we work on academics" (Christensen 14).

As mentioned before, I am a firm believer in student centered learning. I would like to reach every student and build a positive community in my classroom. I am not someone who wants to only build community, or I would be more interested in topics such as psychology, sociology or something else. However, I chose education. I chose to be a person to also focus on academics. To better not only the student as a person, but also to educate them to succeed in school and in life. It is our job as teachers to find a way to intertwine these two.

Through poetry, I believe this is a great way to merge building community while also focusing on academics such as vocabulary, similes and metaphors, and structure. The different structures of poems is important, but there are also many different types of poems or even free verse that can be practiced.The many different types of poems is important to be reaching all students. While some students may be better and enjoy haikus, others may practice slam poetry better. Especially students who are highly interested in music. I like the idea of building community, reaching every student, while also focusing on education.

"She said, "It helped to know that I wasn't the only one with problems. When you shared your stories, I could see a teacher who made it out." Students--  and teachers-- who don't face these struggles gain compassion by listening to their classmates' stories."

I also loved this passage by Christensen. I think it is important to show your struggles. I remember in high school, I was in 12th grade-- I was struggling with family at home, I had senior project, I had a terrible break up, I wasn't getting along with one of my teachers, and I was stressing about colleges. I walked into my English class and my teacher had no makeup on, puffy eyes and just was not her cheery self. We could all tell something was wrong. So she told us her situation... she was telling her high school class her adult life situation. And at first, I was confused. Why would she be telling us this? Of course, we were there for her. Most students thought of her as their favorite, I did too. But this not only let her vent to us, but also let us understand that not everyone has a perfect life. But you get up, you go to work, you move forward and its okay not to be okay once in a while. It's important to be yourself and it's even more important to let your students know you aren't perfect.



Forgotten Items
Similarly to Christensen, Macaluso discusses how poetry can tell about an experience. The poem Forgotten Items draws a picture in your mind of the couple she saw in the supermarket, it uses descriptions that could not just be accurately told in a conversation. The analogy with the orange juice really puts you in the shoes of this elderly woman to feel how she feels. I think the best part of poetry is that the writer can show their experience using the sounds, lighting, scents and it can be beautifully written and spoken out loud.

"Poems can alter the way you see the world"(Macaluso).
This quote stuck out to me and really reminded my of Christensen's reference to gaining compassion. Even if you have not experiences this lonely feeling that this old woman felt, after reading this poem, I felt this weight. The references were also memorable. After reading this, pouring my glass of orange juice was completely different. The effect a poem has, is typically much more sentimental, much more meaningful than an average essay. The language used and developed will not only create better writers, but also create a compassionate classroom community.