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2001-12-04 - 8:29 p.m. I had an excellent day yesterday and today. I was so pleased. Things are going so great with the sophomores ever since I started this poetry unit. On Monday I asked if any of them wanted to share the poems they wrote over the weekend. A few shared then I told them to pass their poems to me after writing either, "Don't share," "Share with name," or "Share without name." on it. Many people let me read as long as I didn't say their name and it went so well! The kids were so into hearing each other's poems. I never read kids' work out loud and maybe I should start doing it because they were really loving it. Then we did another type of poem and they actually all sat and wrote for twenty minutes quietly. No complaints about the assignment any period--all engaged! Today was more of the same. I read the poems out and the kids were still interested and polite/enthusiastic. First period asked me if we could do a class book of poems and I am going to look into that. Then we each wrote a line for a wish poem (with specific requirements for their line) and I read them together as a class poem. Then they did individual wish poems. That idea was in the Kenneth Koch book Wishes, Lies and Dreams. I have found a bunch of great ideas for poetry in various books. I really feel like the ideas have helped them get passed the idea of poetry being difficult or confusing and hard to write. They really seem to be having fun. If seventh period isn't complaining I know something is going right! The seniors also were happy today doing my assignment. It was a puzzle/race with the plot of Macbeth and they were all into it and trying hard. I guess it helped I had candy prizes but it was still cool. Days like this make me feel like I really have "it"--you know, the thing that good teachers have. It's nice not to be filled with self doubt like I usually am. Well I guess it's half and half. And on top of everything my grades are done. I was in a mad rush to try to get them done before eight so I could see Gilmore Girls, then it turned out to be a rerun. Oh well. I started reading the Ann Rule book The Stranger Beside Me a few nights ago. It's about Ted Bundy and is quite fascinating. I really love Ann Rule books, I just get so caught up in them. She sort of makes me want to be a detective or something. I'm not sure why I get into True Crime when I can't stand mystery novels. Tomorrow is reading day--my happy moment is complete.
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