For the past five years I've been cognizant of the fact that giving my students an audience creates a different level of engagement than if their audience is only me. Moving to middle school from teaching elementary only made that notion even more obvious.
These kids want to be heard.
Last week we looked at three poems I wrote about my age over the past three years. You can find my post about that HERE. Over the week, the students brainstormed in their notebooks what it was like to be the age they were. I told them that once they were done, I would share their writing here.
To me, this writing is important for teachers to read. I'm forty-five. As close as I am to my students, it has been over thirty years since I was their age. I need to see how they are feeling. I need to remember what it's like to live at an age filled with so much emotion.
I need to honor their voices.
So, for Writing Wednesday on my blog this week, my students have the floor. There are a lot of poems here, but they are all beautiful. Some are so real and heartfelt that they moved me to tears. Some are powerful. Some are funny.
These kids are the light that fills me up every day.
You can find the link HERE if the embedded Padlet doesn't work below. Thanks for reading. We are honored to share these with you.
