A breakthrough?

I have facilitated poetry classes throughout NYC. I have been blessed with some of the most talented students that make my job easy. Yet, I have been thrown into the lions den several times.

Yesterday was my workshop over at the Early Reporting Center and Wilder ave. This is a half way house of sorts for juveniles. I was contracted for 12 workshops and yesterday was my 6th one. Well, it was the breakthrough one yesterday and I am excited.

I brought in a poem by Patricia Smith "Giving birth to a soldier" and we broke this poem down line by line. I gave them an exercise in which they had to "sandwich their poetry with two lines from the poem. I was so excited hearing these kids read their poems with heads held high. They actually wrote and shared their poems. I have been struggling with them to even pick up a pen. For some reason yesterday was the day these kids wanted to work.

Poetry isn't easy. Teaching it is even harder. Teaching it to a bunch of kids who have no desire to learn it makes it near impossible. I guess if you stay the course, you will have results.


Fish Vargas