Phew! Busy week this week! I meant to post this last week, and time has just flown by! I really enjoyed listening to all of our Where I'm From poems. Was anyone else intimidated by writing a poem? I was before this. I was surprised how doable they were, and how much I enjoyed writing mine. This is definitely something that I would love to incorporate in my own classroom when the time comes.
My Where I'm From poem:
I am from all kinds of painted rocks,
frogs, gnomes, grasshoppers, and cottages,
and half-empty acrylic paints, Golden brand,
from stained, wiry brushes and paper mache,
air-drying and exhibited on the porch,
next to Lipton’s sun tea.
I am from bleeding hearts,
honeysuckles, tulips, forever pink hydrangeas,
lofty bird houses with no vacancy,
from sour then sweet, hen-pecked raspberries,
growing, by hook or crook,
too near our chicken coop.
I am from stacked boxes of bees,
angrily stirring, or diligently pollinating,
strategically placed on top of the hill,
over bottomless rows of trees blossoming.
From months later, after the bees have disappeared,
and Grandpa’s voice sounding over the walkie-talkie,
I’m driving this load to the warehouse, and
don’t let the cherry bins get hot.
I am from Crazy Mike’s Video Hut,
and epic fights with my sister, pleading
because you picked last time!
my little-sister-death-grip on Rainbow Brite.
I am from coupon shopping,
is it a want or a need?,
or many times, Mom’s optimism,
I think we can make that at home.
I am from the smell of Grandma’s rhubarb pies,
crusts from scratch, and salty beer-can chicken,
from family gatherings, and never enough chairs,
I am from welcome mats, caked in mud,
and Mom’s wooden bookends,
declaring Live, Laugh, Love.
I too was surprised at how much easier it was to create this poem than I had originally thought. I love it as an assignment for our students as well. It can be incorporated into really any grade level and it is a great opportunity for classmates to learn about one another. I couldn't believe how many things I heard from classmates that I thought "oh ya. I did that when I was young too." Even though we have such a range of ages and life experiences in our classroom, we found many things that we had in common with others. I believe our students will discover the exact same things. Even though we may not look like someone else or have all the same interests as someone else, we are usually more alike than we know.
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