extraordinary poems for every young adult day
I have not posted in a long time. So long, that WordPress changed its formatting! (FYI: I don't like it) This blog started because there were few resources for age appropriate (middle school) poems. I had tried Billy Collins POETRY 180 and they were all just too... mature. My focus at the time was public... Continue Reading →
The Beats were probably my first introduction to poetry beyond the moon, spoon, june poems that were politely put into elementary school texts. That is to say, the Beat stereotype--not the poems, really. Van Dyke facial hair. Berets. Black clothing. Coffee houses, later basement bars. Bongos. They spoke in lingo, like "coolio" and "hep". Once... Continue Reading →
"The New York Times" wrote a piece called "Why Work When You Can Procrastibake?" It's a nice, light piece that makes one think about all of the things we do to procrastinate when there is work to be done. My students tend to play with fonts. They spend a lot of time on them, both... Continue Reading →
About the Author Elskan Triumph is the author of several titles, some adult and some young adult. In his writing, this is his first attempt at the sports genre, although he loves sports movies of all stripes. Although his sport of choice is long distance running (more of a slow, heavy slog), he appreciates a... Continue Reading →
Why do we deny the truth when it is not only staring us in the face, but punching us in the nose over and over and over? When my son was two years old he had a seizure. After the first doctor visit I was in denial. For two weeks he was falling down and... Continue Reading →
Reactions to Dead Poets Society are mixed. Some romanticize it--people did when it came out. I was learning to be a teacher when the movie came out and suddenly everyone wanted to teach kids to rebel and stand on desks. More recently, I listened to a podcast where the hosts described the film as a... Continue Reading →
My mother always said that I thought too big. My voice is this blog and my teaching, both of which are unremarkable (in my mind). Yet, I remind myself daily of the novels that have no publisher, the teacher recognition I do not earn or the public policy I am subjected to because I dare... Continue Reading →
My wife was preparing her unit on the Harlem Renaissance and I came up short--I could only name about three artists involved. Now, I can't name that many writers from most literary movements, but when I called up Wikipedia I was at a loss to even recognize names beyond Hughes or Hurston (so, really, two names).... Continue Reading →
Another poem and poet I do not know. Welcome to National Poetry Month! The Victorian poem Arthur Symons was the choice of our local high school's Poetry Out Loud representative, Casey Ober. She went to the state competition and made the Top 10 regional finalists. She coupled it with Suzanne Buffam's Enough", a pair of... Continue Reading →
Suzanne Buffam's Enough", along with Victorian poet Arthur Symons "April Midnight", was the choice of our local high school's Poetry Out Loud representative, Casey Ober. She went to the state competition and made the Top 10 regional finalists. What was most interesting, in the interview I read, was her passion for the poem. Ober enjoyed... Continue Reading →
Middle School Poetry 180 