Post #7 -- Falling In Love With Poetry

by Todd Nesloney

When I was growing up, I hated poetry. It didn’t interest me and it made zero sense. In reality, the only kind of poems that I was introduced to were poems written by people like William Shakespeare.

Now don’t get me wrong here, I believe there is a time and a place for poetry like that. But it never has been a place of inspiration for me.

When I read, I want to feel inspired. I want to feel like someone just took the words straight out of my heart and placed them down on paper far better than I ever could. That’s when I learned about poetry that could lure me in and hold me for hours.

When I work with students now, I try to find poets that write in a way that feels present, relevant, and honest but in a way that also provides a sense of hope.

Recently I came across the author Tanner Olson (who goes by @WrittenToSpeak on social media). I was so deeply moved by many of his graphics or blog posts he would share. Then I bought his book I’m All Over the Place, and immediately fell in love.

Tanner writes in a way that tugs at my heart, expresses my complicated thoughts, but also links in hope. "To" is one poem that demonstrates this well; it is worth sharing with students!

When working with students sometimes there is just immense power in showing a poem and asking how it makes our students feel. Allow them to express those feelings within their own writing, an artistic rendering, or even verbally expressing it. But most importantly? Making sure you, the teacher, share how it tugged at your own heartstrings. What memories or emotions did it bring up for you? Be vulnerable, be honest, be real.

Further Reading:

Todd Nesloney @techninjatodd is the Director of Culture and Strategic Leadership for the Texas Elementary Principals and Supervisors Association. He has been recognized by John C. Maxwell, the White House, and more for his work in education. He has also published several books including Kids Deserve It and his brand new children's book Spruce and Lucy.

Go Poem #26-- Paraphrasing A Rebuttal

by Brett Vogelsinger

Any strong argument can be countered in a rebuttal, and Taylor Mali's "Like totally whatever, you know?" from yesterday's post is no exception.  Melissa Lozada-Olivia answers Mali's attack on our lackadaisical use of language not with excuses but with powerful commentary on what voices with a lack of conviction might say about society at large.

I explain to my students that today's poem will be a poetic rebuttal to yesterday's poem.  No further introduction is required. 

It's fascinating to see that in my classes, the students invariably become defensive of Mali's argument. "He didn't mean it that way!" they cry, "She sounds too angry!" they judge.  To be honest, as a Taylor Mali fan (after all, what teacher doesn't love Taylor after hearing "What Teachers Make") I kind of relate.  But I invite my students to step back from their initial emotional reaction and consider the same question as yesterday: What is her central claim?  What is she arguing in this poetic response? 

This argument is somewhat trickier, but we eventually whittle it down to something like "People speak without conviction because they are used to being overlooked an unheard" or "Judging people based on how they speak will not help them speak with greater conviction."  We discuss whether this is in polar opposition to Mali's argument or just a different perspective on the same issue.  Do both poets believe people have the capacity to speak with greater conviction?  Is there any common ground here? 

The clever repurposing of Mali's own wording here is also worth noting.  Imitation, after all, is not always the sincerest form of flattery.  

When I shared this pair of poems with a colleague in my school district, she pointed out that the rap battle pieces between Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton from Hamilton (Original Broadway Cast Recording) would make excellent argument/rebuttal poems for discussion as well. 

Brett Vogelsinger teaches freshman English students at Holicong Middle School in Doylestown, PA where he starts class with a poem each day. Follow his work on Twitter @theVogelman.

Go Poem #25 -- Paraphrasing An Argument

by Brett Vogelsinger

Taylor Mali's  poem "Totally like whatever, you know?" is so much fun partially because it pokes fun at something that is so incredibly true, you know, the way we, like, clutter our speech with totally needless words.  Kids identify with this because they are accustomed to teachers and parents pointing out their superfluous interjections and asking them to work on it.

After watching this poem in the kinetic typography rendition, I ask kids to look at the complete text of the poem on the screen and ask them to consider the piece again less as a poem and more as a piece of argument writing.  If this whole poem is an argument, what is Mali's central claim?  How can you tell?

Many students come up with something like "People need to speak with more conviction."

Then we can consider in a whole-class discussion how he uses details in other lines of the poem as evidence to support this claim and build a strong argument.

Tune in tomorrow to see another poet's rebuttal to this argument which is sure to provoke a response from your students.

Brett Vogelsinger teaches freshman English students at Holicong Middle School in Doylestown, PA where he starts class with a poem each day. Follow his work on Twitter @theVogelman.

Further Reading: