T. Falls students dive into poetry

The Thompson Falls fourth graders were treated to a poetry writing coach from Missoula during a 12-week session. Alicia Watkinson from the Missoula Writing Collaborative came to the school each week to teach students about poetry and coach them in their writing experiences. This is the first year that teachers Sarah Naegeli and Amy Gilbert have had the opportunity for a professional poet to spend time with their students teaching them the art of writing poetry.

At the end of the twelve weeks the students shared their writings with parents, kindergarten classes, and the general public during what they call a Poetry Slam. The event took place in the elementary and junior high band room. The audience could sit in chairs and hear the students read with a microphone.

Watkinson stood by them for guidance and support. "The students did a great job reading in front of an audience. They were so shy at the beginning of our classes," she said.

Students chose the style of poems they wanted to write. Some were acrostics spelling out a color, such as purple or orange. Another poem was a letter to the sun from a cactus titled "Dear Sun" by Hartleigh Block in Naegeli's class. In it Block's ending asks: "Why do you like it when people stare at you for hours?" The sun wrote a response: " Dear Cactus, ending with, "Why do you like it when people cut you down?"

Block, along with others also wrote an If You Dream poem. Many students wrote I Am poems. Macoy Schoenfeldt from Naegli's class ended his I Am poem with: " I am love. I am above. I love young. I am nice just like mice. I can be anything I want! I am alive, I am alive!"

Kalsin McGuire in Naegeli's class wrote Ode to Night. She ends it with: "I wish I could disappear into your inky blackness. The universe is my book and I write the story. Without you, I can't be me."

In Amy Gilbert's class Alias Williams wrote "I Was Born." "I was born in a rose. It smelled stravugantulorious. I was born color blind to red and green, but I at least I can see. I was born in a cookbook, I can make stir fry in the sky. I was born in the sky. Hey, I can fly high. I was born in an art book- now I'm 2D."

Walter Beasley in Gilbert's class wrote one of his poems about his tail, titled ' "The Tail' "When I woke up I felt something. It was a four foot tail on my tush. I had to learn how to use it. I got the hang of it. I am good at tennis now because I have another hand. If I were an animal I would be funny and I would leave the zoo for fun."

Watkinson told the audience that she had a great time with her first appointment as a Missoula Writing Collaborative coach. "I wasn't sure about the two hour trip to Thompson Falls each week, but I really enjoyed the experience and hope to come back next year," The fourth grade teachers were pleased with their students' efforts and growth in writing poetry. "I am so impressed with the program and the ability of the students. Their poems are amazing," Naegeli said.