Jeanne Cantwell.

Where I’m From poems (inspired by George Ella Lyon) were the first pieces of student writing that I reviewed in my student teaching placement. This poem was also one of the first assignments I wrote for one of my graduate courses. I was encouraged to see that my high school students and I were tackling a similar assignment. I love that students have the opportunity to interact with poetry. It is the sort of assignment that I would never grade for content, rather for completion. I think art, like poetry, is so subjective that it seems wrong to place too many parameters around it. Of course, there are certain characteristics and formatting rules in the poetry genre that are more objective but in general, I believe poetry should be used as a form of expression.

I plan to utilize an activity like the Where I’m From poems as a way to get to know my students. I would make a few adjustments allowing students to reflect on where they are from or perhaps where they’ve been. I want to acknowledge that there are certain aspects of a student’s upbringing that they might not feel comfortable writing about. After writing my own Where I’m From poem, I recognize the privilege I’ve had to reflect on a lot of positive aspects of my life. I could also see this adjusted for an end of the year reflective activity. I would challenge students to consider not only where they’ve been, but where they’re going!