Happy Poetry Friday! (Wondering what Poetry Friday is? Click here.)
Each year Jone MacCulloch’s students at Silver Star School in Washington state send out poetry postcards during National Poetry Month. I had signed up back in March and promptly forgot about it. April was busy, to say in the least, and I was out of the country for part of it. So it was such a nice surprise to find this gem of a poem hiding in the pile of junk mail and bills when we got back from our trip!
I love a combination of poetry and information! Elsie’s poem starts out with a strong simile and proceeds to tell me some cool things about the lodges of the Mandan Indians. I looked these lodges up online to learn more. That’s the beauty of poetry around content. You don’t have to tell a reader everything–just enough to make the reader curious!
Another thing I love about Elsie’s poem is that it really focuses on one particular quality of these homes: their protectiveness. Pretty much everything in the poem supports the idea that these earthen lodges were havens of safety, of security. She didn’t write a report and tell me a million things. Instead, she focused on one aspect of them and used great specifics to draw me in. Wonderful job, Elsie–thank you! And thank you, Ms. Mac, for organizing this event again. Getting a poem in my mailbox is like ordering a salad and getting served a cupcake!
Teacher
You have so many talents.
You do everything with flair.
Any minute I’m expecting…
you will rise up in the air.
You stretch my world much wider.
Your stories lift me high.
They spark imagination–
I feel I, too, can fly.
–Joan Bransfield Graham, all rights reserved
Isn’t that lovely? That’s still how teachers and stories affect me.
And for lots more wonderful poetry, don’t miss the Poetry Friday Roundup with Jama Rattigan at Alphabet Soup!
Elsie has really set quite a scene – I’m eager to learn what happens! I’m sharing one of Jone’s students’ poems, as well, and am always happy to see kids getting into poetry! (Oh, and thank you for the ‘School People’ plug!)
That poem is a beautiful tribute to teachers. And Elsie did a great job, too! Welcome back 🙂
Thanks for sharing Elsie’s wonderful poem, Laura, and noting how she communicated that protectiveness. And thanks for sharing Joan”s poem, too. Shortly after I gave that book to Morgan to share in her class, she was interrupted by one of her third grade girls, who read her that very poem! Such an affirmation. A cupcake-level one, for sure!
Elsie’s poem is one that make you look for more, Laura, just like wonderful teachers who “stretch my world” in Joan’s poem. Great to share them together!
This is a lovely example of a way youngwriters can practice/enjoy what I called “Wrtiting for the Real World when I was teaching. It’s such a thrill for kids (ha—and adult writers) to know that their writing has reached beyond the classroom into the hands of one or people out in the world.
Thanks for sharing Elsie’s poetry postcard and Joan’s poem. Perfect for Teacher Appreciation Week. 🙂
I agree–it was such a delight to get a postcard filled with poetry and art and information! And Joan’s poem is the perfect celebration of teachers!
Loved Elise’s poem, it’s filled with pride of home and packed with so much info in so few lines! Thanks for sharing Joan’s fun, uplifting poem also.
“Getting a poem in my mailbox is like ordering a salad and getting served a cupcake!” <– Yes! Exactly. Joan’s teacher poem certainly applies to Ms. Mac. 🙂 I will miss Jone’s poetry postcard project big time.
A lovely postcard. It makes me feel guilty, as I know I have one on my desk buried under bills and circulars. I must get to it soon. As soon as my MG ms is revised! 🙂
No guilt, Brenda!
Great post! Ruth, thereisnosuchthingasagodforsakentown.blogspot.com
What a sweet post. I especially like your enthusiastic critique of Elise’s work. I struggle sometimes to know the words to explain why I like something in a poem. I think a good critique is worth it’s weight in gold….or cupcakes! Elise is a very lucky student to have Jone for a teacher. I’m really hoping to see some of these student names with publishing credits someday. We are growing some fine poets across our land.
I’m inspired — I need to share the poem I got from one of Jone’s students!! Elise’s is marvelous (made more so by your loving unpacking of its virtues)!!
I, too, had forgotten about the poetry postcards. They arrived in my mailbox on a dreary day and brightened my mood. Thank you for reminding me to share my wonderfully crafted gifts!