Coming back from a toilet run today, a little girl slipped her hand in mine and announced, “My teacher told me not to put my legs in a double u (w).” I was caught slightly off guard.
I need not have worried, she chattered on and the meaning became clear. “It’s bad for young hips,” she declared, “they are still growing and they haven’t formed properly, so it might hurt them.”
“Oh, of course, that’s right. Your teacher is very smart to tell you that.”
“Yes, she is. She’s the cleverest and best teacher in the whole world.”
Absolutely. Unequivocal praise. I think only a child can say that and mean every word.
As it’s April and everyone is talking about poetry, I decided I would choose poetry for my next writing unit in our weekly zoom lessons. I am not sure if there are any poets who write in the Khasi language, but I am finding that poetry can be quite universal even in your second language. Classes this week are going to write an acrostic poem using the letters of their name (abbreviated name only, as some of them have inordinately long names like Naphibanrisuk or Wanriehtngen). I am looking forward to next week!
Today I was looking through some papers and found some past examples of short poems from students. I helped them out with a bit of line editing, but I was impressed with some of the results.
Fruit
I like fruit
Apples the most
Let’s plant a tree
Fruit keeps us
Healthy.
Fruit is
Tasty and sweet.
Vegetables
I love vegetables
fried by mum
So many kinds
We need them all
Every day.
Trucks
Heavy laden trucks
So very, very big
Carrying heavy loads
I love big trucks
So much.
Swimming
I like to swim
On hot days
In the river
With my friends
Water makes me clean.
A Time To Write 
This month of poetry is a welcoming balm for the soul. I wonder if there’s a poem in “don’t put your leg in a W.” BTW, Anita wrote a brilliant post about teaching poetry today.
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I so agree Glenda. I love poetry, definitely thinking of ideas for a poem using that title! Yes, I read that post, really informative….
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The artwork and the verses are glorious – I am always in awe of your students, their observations, and their stories. Fascinating lead-in – and fascinating to think of those names becoming acrostics! I am now wondering what meanings are attached to these long names. Something significant, I feel sure.
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Thanks, Fran, for your lovely comments again. They do constantly amaze me (actually I did the artwork, I just wanted to throw in a spot of colour and now realise it looks misleading?!) Yes, their names all mean something, but I always forget. I’ll do some research and get back to you…!!
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The cats are gorgeous! I love their individual expressions. They have so much character.
I enjoy teaching poetry. It is freeing for student snot having to think about having to write sentences. I too start with Acrostic – a sure fire way to be successful with the first foray into poems.
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Yes the cats are my version from an artist who used the numbers 1 to 9 as a start to draw a cat face, it’s amazing how many different expressions you can capture with just a few lines. I agree with you about poetry, it is fun to teach and I have a great acrostic example for the coming week…!
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