After twenty inspirational, insightful, incredible, incisive, illuminating, impassioned, and often improvisational weeks of poetry, we had our final 2nd grade classes this week. It’s never easy ending a residency, but we did so the best we could. I brought in some of my own poems to share with the students, and then they were asked to choose their favorites from among those written this year, which they also shared. What an incredible range the Skinner West 2nd graders have shown! Poems from the very beginning were read aloud, along with those written recently, running the gamut from personal and confessional, to nonsensical and hilarious; the one thing they all have in common is the high quality of the work.
I’m honored to have worked with these amazing 2nd grade classes! Thanks to Ms. Rupp, Ms. Beaudry, Ms. Schwartz, and Ms. Ward for welcoming me into their rooms and for all the support. I hope to be back again next year!
