POEM: Things I Learned Last Quarter

At the end of the quarter, I asked my students to write a poem modeled off William Stafford's "Things I Learned Last Week" as a sort of review/sharing activity. (I previously wrote one modeled on this poem over the summer during CAWP. You can read it here. Even though I probably should come to expect it by now, whenever I give these kids a chance to write creatively, I am astounded by their thoughtfulness and honesty. Their words belong to them, but here's the poem I wrote with them as a model.

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Things I Learned Last Quarter - A Poem Written on September 30th, 2013.

My dog Oliver really likes
to pull the stuffing out of things--
his new toys, my new couches.

In football, the "red zone"
is the part of the field
20 yards or less from the goal line.

Walking up and down
stairs in high heels
is
terrifying.
And no--
you don't get used to it from practice.

Phoenix freeway traffic
at 7:30 AM on a weekday
is wildly unpredictable.
It is best to leave a few minutes
earlier than you need.

There is a restaurant in Scottsdale
where they bring you
plates of filet mignon and lobster
using skateboards as serving trays.
The food is good,
but I still don't get it.