I'm gearing up for the new school year. I'm told I'll have five classes of 10th graders. Oh, it's that lovely age of about 16 years - where most students exemplify their sophomore status [wise fool]. They're all used to the school and think they have the teachers pegged. They know the disciplinary system (and often know how to avert reprocussions). It's quite an interesting school year for most of them, and as their classroom teacher, it's always a 9-month melodramatic sitcom.
So here's one of the poems I penned as an example for my new charges:
Her laugh is quite a bit haughty
Most often when she is naughty
The tricks she plays on enemies
Then prays "forgiveness my Lord, please."
And hopes at her end for mercy.
Her games continue until she
Went on attack vindictively
Spreading lies with such careless ease –
Venomous lies. Only truth frees
But her damages dealt harshly
And victims seek justice, you see?
Fought her words victoriously
Labeled her lies, shunned her comp'ny
Gave her not one shred of mercy
Venomous lies - - only truth frees.
The idea is that they'll write their own poetry with focus on one or two techniques for each piece they craft. It doesn't have to be perfect, but it's a lot easier to show a student's voice than jumping into essay writing is... We'll fumble through several specific forms of poetry and each student will develop a portfolio of their work.
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