During a lesson on author's word choice in dialogue within narrative verse, my class and I created this imitation poem based on a verse from the novel "Clap When You Land" by Elizabeth Acevedo. Frequently, teachers feel overwhelmed and overburdened by the expectations and climates within our school but how often are we able to see inside the thoughts and perspectives of students? This poem was an eye-opener for me.
The Classroom
In this cell
-void of joy-
put to work for all the day
craving freedom to relax
but stopped
by papers stacked a mile high
Kim, this poem clearly describes the daunting perspective high school students have of school. The language in this poem is so powerful and certainly presents as hopeless and despairing. My daughter is a freshman in high school and she constantly reflects on their limited time to converse and relax throughout the academic day. The county we live in continuously sends out emails and text messages encouraging school attendance. Unfortunately, avoiding school all together and/or skipping classes is becoming a pattern where we live.
ReplyDeleteThe emotion was captured perfectly by your word choices.
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