Sitting in my classroom after school yesterday, I was paging through poetry projects when another teacher came in. She had a question, but was pulled in by what she saw on my computer screen. I read a couple of poems to her and she wanted to know how I got my students to write like that. I give them models. I read them poetry that I love. I tell them to use the models but to write about what they know, about what is in their hearts, about their lives and families. And they do.

In his introduction, one wrote:

 WHEN I WAS SIX YEARS OLD MY FATHER LEFT ME AND WHEN I WAS NINE MY MOTHER SUFFERED FROM A SEVERE STROKE BOTH WHICH WOULD AS I KNOW IT CHANGE MY LIFE FOREVER.

I USED THESE EVENTS ALONG WITH SOME OTHERS TO FORM A GOOD EXPLANATION OF THINGS I FEEL

His poetry has moved me in these last six weeks, and through this project, I know what moves him. I’ll keep sharing some of these stories and poems. Today I share some of this young boy’s and some from one of my farm kids.