Moments

Lately the kids have been, well, let's say "sluggish". This is about the most polite term I can think of for what's been the typical mental state in my classrooms lately. The kids are mentally  checking out prematurely, and they continue to be buried under the constant stress of examinations, homework assignments, long study hours and continual demands for perfection by teachers.

As a way of battling back against this and in an attempt to get rid of my own late-year frustration, stress and workload, I decided to teach the kids a new word: "reprieve".

I checked homework but didn't worry so much about marks or completion. I gave each class an opportunity to do the work they'd missed and catch up on remaining assignments. For those kids who were diligent and had completed all assignments, I put on some music. I simply asked them to write whatever they were feeling in response to the songs I played. I played two: I played one quiet, slightly intense but emotion-inspiring Dave Matthews song (I'm sure you're all surprised at this choice if you know my music listening habits), and one song by Sarah Bareilles. Both shared lyrics about heartbreak, but the styles were completely different. And I didn't let the kids know the content... I was interested in a more emotive response that just tapped into their thoughts/feelings/memories sparked by the songs.

It's activities like these that give me by FAR the most diversity in writing and in connection to the kids. Sometimes it makes them nervous or uncertain, thinking that I'm looking for a single answer to the prompt. Others use it as a way of venting their frustrations. Others just let the music fill them up and let the pen do the talking and they write something bordering on inspirational. And some are just funny. As long as they wrote something, I was happy. Others made me smile a bit more than others, so I thought I'd share a couple of good lines from their work...

"This song is like vanilla, and the memory takes me to my childhood."

"If you have ever picked the wing off a butterfly, you will know how I feel."

"The man is remembering his memories. They are beautiful, pure, unforgettable."

"I think the song is like a sapphire."

"My friends and family pass one by one in my eyes. The afternoon sun shines on the wild scene and makes a huge shadow on my heart."

"I hate the first song. It makes me feel restless and ill-tempered without any reason."

"It's like being at a small pub with dim light."

"It was as if a person was lost in an empty street which was filled with darkness."

"It's like drinking cola."

"Long, long ago, there was a dog. He was a free dog..." (story proceeds for 2 pages about a dog.)

"I am tired from homework. My engine might be broken."

"The boys are so naughty!!! They don't finish their homework, just play, play, play!! Oh! I don't like them! But it doesn't mean I hate them..." (from one of my class assistants).

Hope you enjoyed them...

T