Reflections on the Teche

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Use this button created by Leigh Anne Eck to post your Digital Poetry this month.

I am staying true to my blog title and reflecting today. I discovered a student of mine has been writing acrostic poems.  Lani is new to my gifted class, in third grade, and works on math with me.  She knew the others were blogging for the month of March, and she wanted to join in.  Of course, I let her, and her mother welcomed the challenge by allowing her computer time at home to post.  With the crazy number of posts during March, I was not completely keeping up.  I thought I was until I saw this post from Lani from March 25th.

Since today is International Poetry Day for me… this is my poem…..

Hour long punishment
Expelled from school yesterday
Lectures from my mother
Practicality flunked sixth grade

My worst day ever
Everyone knows that I lied to get their attention

I hope that you liked my poem!!

This form intrigued me.  As I said, Lani is a third grader, and none of her lines were true to her, so I assumed that she was writing a novel in verse as a 6th grade character.  Here was another post from the same day.

Crazy unpredictable things have happened
Once I had a pig for supper
Maybe a dog would have tasted better
Eww!!!

Inviting you is not a problem
Never a problem because I need a witness

All my relatives have not survived
Nor my family
Dad did not want to come in fearing that he will be finished

Sometimes I do not know how people can lie
Even if they are lying to themselves
Everyone thinks that I am lying and I am!!!

After reading this, I had to have a discussion with Lani.  I was wondering where she was getting her ideas from.  She didn’t have an explanation.  She just wanted to write poems, and she knew she was good at acrostic.  The only time she had written a poem with me was for Chalkabration, an acrostic about March.  I gave her loads of praise because it was a great poem.

I talked to Lani about her fictional character.  She made some notes in her notebook.  I encouraged her to keep it going.  Since this conversation, we have had disruptions with spring break and testing, so I hadn’t checked in with Lani.  These poems seem to get crazier and crazier.  Not everything makes sense, and yet, I think I have a creative writer on my hands.  I hope we can make time again to put aside the math book and write poems.  I love how she gives me credit for “coaching” her.

Hard-headed
Ant=my brother
Reading maniac=my sister
Dare addict=my dad
Especially the hard ones
Sardines eater=my cousin
Tardy=my friends

Dummy=my other cousin
Arnold=my brother’s name
Reaction=crazy
Extreme dare

Elapsed time:02 seconds
Ventriloquist people call me crazy (look at them!)
Even my mother! Listen to what she calls it!!!!
Ridiculous lying is what my mother calls it

This a poem for MY International Poetry Month. It took me a few days but I finally finished it. (with a little help from Mrs.Simon and some ”coaching”)

You can leave comments directly to Lani here.

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