One of the greatest things about teaching gifted kids is that I am amazed everyday. This week we started a new service project inspired by the original 26 Acts of Kindness in response to the Sandy Hook massacre. The 26 Acts was revived following the Boston marathon bombing recognizing the 26 miles of the marathon. We made a poster to hang in the hallway near the cafeteria and students are making announcements daily to encourage others to do an act of kindness and add a note to the poster.
When one of my students, a 6th grader, came in to the classroom on Wednesday morning, she asked, “What letter are we doing today, Mrs. Simon?” I hadn’t made a plan because I was not officially having class. (I had to test some recommended students.) So I said, “K is for Kyrielle. Google it.” She did, and she began to work with the form.
“What topic should I use?”
“What about 26 acts of kindness?”
That was the extent of my instruction. I tested the students while she worked quietly. When I finished and the students left, she said she was stuck. I still left her alone. My two fifth graders came in. Again, I was not “officially” having class, so the three of them worked together on the kyrielle. They decided to use an aaaa rhyme scheme. They opened rhyme zone on the internet. It was fun to just sit back and watch this happen. The kyrielle has an octo-syllabic pattern, so they were counting out beats and adding and taking away words to make each line 8 syllables.
My three students were so pleased with their results, as was I, that they decided to read it aloud on the morning announcements. The whole office staff was touched and amazed. I think I should get out of their way more often.
26 Acts of Kindness
There’s something kind that we must do
To pay respects, so let’s be true
It won’t be for me or for you
So help the dreams they can’t pursuePlease, show your kindness, here’s your cue
Be the person God asked you to
We can stop them from feeling blue
So help the dreams they can’t pursueTheir families are torn in two
Come, everyone, and get a clue
Those men would wish they could undo
So help the dreams they can’t pursueWhat is our country going through
To me, it feels like déjà vu
You all know who I’m talking to
So help the dreams they can’t pursueby Kaylie, Brooklyn, and Kendall
If you want to leave these students a comment, their poem is posted here on our kidblog site. For more about the ABCs of poetry, go to my guest post on Caroline by Line.
Poetry Friday is hosted this week by Laura Purdie Salas at Writing the World for Kids
Reflections on the Teche 
Thanks, Margaret, for sharing the kyrielle. The future looks hopeful when kids can feel compassion and empathy.
Thanks for sharing this with us! I loved hearing the backstory, too.
Beautifully done, the reward to you Margaret for all the work you’ve done to help these students feel so confident. There is a part of me that wishes there hadn’t been so much for them to ‘attend’ to, but giving them a way to action is terrific.
I often wonder if the use of forms is helpful or constraining. I think in a way the struggle with the form gave them the impetus to write what was meant to be written.
Amazing work. Thanks for sharing, Margaret.
Thanks for sharing, Margaret. Neat poem. =)
Wow, Margaret! Reading words like these gives me much hope for the future! Thank you!
What a wonderful story. Thanks for sharing it.
Thanks for the reminder of the power of getting out of our students’ way.
Ditto on what Mary Lee said:>)
This gave me chills. Thanks for sharing, Margaret, and more importantly thanks for being the example/inspiration you evidently are to these students.
Wonderful work, and I love the story of its creation!
[…] is healing, and my students knew this. Had I taught them this? The link to my original post is here, but I will reprint the poem for […]
[…] still remember the day I got out of the way, and my students created an amazing kyrielle about kindness following the Sandy Hook shootings. Form can be a puzzle that leads to deep thinking, problem […]