I absolutely love my top set year 8 class. I get so much out of them, they respond well, talk beautifully and literally just blow my mind. We are just about to start a new unit of work and rather than start it last thing on a Thursday afternoon, I decided to do a one off lesson based on a poet called Taylor Mali. There were prompts provided but other than that, they had to fill the gaps. I wrote along with the kids and this is what I came up with.
Before I knew how to walk in heels, I used to find myself wandering aimlessly barefoot.
People think I am an extrovert but really I am safely hidden inside my warm cosy shell, peaking out at the merriment around me.
I'm the one who is a shoulder to cry on.
I'm the one who needs you to be there.
I'm the one who still cuddles a teddy at night.
In the circus of my family I am the first to reach the trapeze but everyone has to out their head in the lions mouth sometimes.
I wonder every day if I made the wrong decision all those years ago and if it will haunt me like the lingering scent of a favourite perfume.
At 2pm on a summers day I will haunt that place we fell in love. I'll sit beneath our favourite tree and quietly bask in the glow of your affection.
While this may not be prize winning stuff, it was certainly a cathartic experience and I think everyone got a lot out of it. Some of the things these 12 and 13 year olds wrote was absolutely jaw dropping.
No comments:
Post a Comment