Let’s Get Started!

For our first session at Foster Park Elementary we spent some time introducing ourselves and talking about what poetry is and what it means to us. I introduced myself, by sharing a poem Ode To the Chancla, a piece dedicated to the overlooked yet mighty flip flop! We had a great conversation about how important it is to use your voice in a world that doesn’t often listen to what young people have to say. Ms. Bullock’s and Ms. Turner’s 6th, 7th, and 8th graders had plenty of input and created this definition of poetry: Poems can be like a short story about your feelings. Poems can rhyme (or not), they can flow and have rhythm. Poems can sound like a song or rap lyrics. Poems can express deep feelings and emotions. Poems are about life. Poems are written with heart. Poems can be empathetic and help us have empathy. Poems can convey strength. Poems can sound like Shakespeare, or songs by Jay-Z, Kendrick Lamar and Mary J. Blige. Stay tuned for our next Foster Park blog post, where you’ll get to read some of the incredible pieces students started working on!