To commemorate the end of the 2010-2011 residency, 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders from Solomon gathered in the gym today to share one poem apiece from the year's twenty weeks of writing. I was reminded of (and humbled by) the amazing variety of voices and experiences here, with uniquely distinct poems written in response to ideas shared across grade levels. Great work, everyone!

Congratulations to all the student readers, who did a terrific job, and thank yous to teachers, Mrs. Jones, Mr. Sandlass, and Ms. Goode; to principal, Mrs.

Students from Solomon read at the Hands on Stanzas All Schools Reading last night at the School of the Art Institute Ballroom. Great job, everyone!

Our final class was today—the year flew by! It seems like only yesterday that we started. Since we still have an end of the year reading featuring all three classes at Solomon next week, I'll save my final comments until then. In the meanwhile, we did have a chance to read one more poem, discuss it briefly, and write something in response to it.

We read "The Layers" by Stanley Kunitz.

Last week we read a poem by English poet, Philip Larkin called "Coming." In it, the speaker describes what sounds like a childhood memory, but of what? Students recognized that the poem is set just before spring begins, but as we looked more closely at some of Larkin's particular word choices, and defined them, further details regarding place became clearer, as well as the speaker's motivations and revelations.

Last week, we read "Nighttime Fires" by humorist, feminist, and poet, Regina Barreca. Unlike some other poems we've read this semester, this one is narrative in scope, telling a more or less straightforward story about a young child's memory of evening excursions instigated by their father to watch burning buildings.

For our class before spring break we read John Ciardi's poem, "The Catalpa." Students initially recognized that the poem was about some kind of plant, but it's a tribute to Ciardi's skill as a poet that it was not readily obvious that the poem describes a particular kind of tree, even though the seventh line clearly says so.

Throughout his life, George Oppen was an individualist. He abandoned the materialistic lifestyle of his wealthy parents, traveled widely with his wife, and even quit writing poetry for a period of time that extended over two decades.

Last week, we read June Jordan's very funny poem, "Notes on the Peanut." The speaker in the poem is famous inventor and scientist, George Washington Carver, who recites a litany of uses for the "lowly leguminous plant" of the title.

William Carlos Williams decided in high school to become both a poet and a doctor, twin paths he would pursue vigorously throughout his lifetime.