Adolescence

It's a funny word. You never really know how to take what teenagers are doing or saying. We were all there once in our lives, but it seems as if their thoughts can be so strange and unfamiliar to us. Atwell talks on page 55 about the fact that one of the most important things middle school teachers can do is be aware and conscious of the real issues that teenagers are dealing with. I think that this should apply to teachers on ALL LEVELS. I don't think that there is a time that teachers and educators should ever be unaware or unsympathetic to the emotions and lives of their students. Their lives and what goes on in them does affect who they are in our classroom. This particular section of the book focuses on poetry which I think ties in perfectly to this message.

Poetry is such a great way of expressing what is going on in your life. Emotions, thoughts and dreams can all come out in poetry. It is a freedom of expression that has no boundaries. I think that although many adolescents would run away from the thought of writing poetry, teachers need to put it in a light that will interest them. I have actually began a poetry "unit" with my teacher at Field the past few weeks. Our students have began writing and reading more poetry and they are finally starting to enjoy it. A lot of my students are actually opening up about themselves within their writing which makes it even more enjoyable. I get to finally know more about my students. I have encouraged them to continue writing and to make a collection of their poetry throughout the year. At the end of my student teaching I would like to do an activity where the students bind their work. I think it would be special to them and hopefully they continue to enjoy it.