Education Director Marty Mannion reflects on a visit to Hillcrest Elementary School.
The Hillcrest Hawks are a perennial America SCORES soccer powerhouse but less than half of the students read or write proficiently. When their star players crowded around a table in the back corner of their poetry class I worried some might revisit reputations as class clowns and troublemakers. Skeptical that they would write while sitting with their best friends at 4:30 on a Friday afternoon, I wrongly suggested that they spread out. They looked at me like I was crazy and answered, “On Saturday we perform our poem together, so on Friday we write it together.” I was disappointed in myself for forgetting what makes America SCORES poetry workshops so powerful. Youth write so they can share, laugh and connect with teammates who they trust to support the risks they’ll take.
Coach Sarah, a Reading Partners AmeriCorps member and four-year college soccer player, started the class playing a team-building game and shared a poem about colors that engaged students. When she gave the class time to write independently, José emerged as a leader amongst the group of boys in the back. He decided they would write a group poem about their team’s color, blue. They took turns proposing ideas about the color blue, passing lines of poetry around the table.
Suddenly there was a disagreement and one student threatened, “If you want to write that, you can leave this group.” José interrupted, “Hey man, you wouldn’t like it if we said that about your line, so don’t say it about his,” and they continued working. The teacher never asked or taught the students to write a poem as a team. She didn’t need to, because on the soccer field the group had already discovered the kind of leadership, teamwork, and trust that makes for lively writers’ workshops.
The boys’ brainstorming session was raucous at times. The coach wisely decided not to scold the emerging poets for having a good time sharing creative ideas. Loud conversations became loud poems. They erupted with laughter and finished their poem when Luis suggested, “The color blue is the color of the end!” During the ritual author’s chair the boys performed their poem and listened to what their teammates wrote.
A daytime teacher who was working in the back of the classroom took a short break from her work to observe the student performances. She remarked, “It’s amazing how they all supported each other in here.” The boys will need such positive, peer support in the future as they are all bound for underperforming public middle schools where the color blue is banned. We expect them to beat the odds there because at Hillcrest, the color blue is family.
Blue
By Jose, Luis, Jair, Igorfer, Alvin of the Hillcrest Boys Team
Blue is the color around the world.
Blue is the color of our favorite times.
Blue is the color of our goals that are always golden.
Blue is our light to our eyes.
Blue is the taste of blue berries.
Blue is the best color.
Blue is the best like Hillcrest.
Blue is blood before you get cut.
Blue is the color of my imaginary friend.
Blue is the color of the end.
The Hillcrest Hawks are a perennial America SCORES soccer powerhouse but less than half of the students read or write proficiently. When their star players crowded around a table in the back corner of their poetry class I worried some might revisit reputations as class clowns and troublemakers. Skeptical that they would write while sitting with their best friends at 4:30 on a Friday afternoon, I wrongly suggested that they spread out. They looked at me like I was crazy and answered, “On Saturday we perform our poem together, so on Friday we write it together.” I was disappointed in myself for forgetting what makes America SCORES poetry workshops so powerful. Youth write so they can share, laugh and connect with teammates who they trust to support the risks they’ll take.
Coach Sarah, a Reading Partners AmeriCorps member and four-year college soccer player, started the class playing a team-building game and shared a poem about colors that engaged students. When she gave the class time to write independently, José emerged as a leader amongst the group of boys in the back. He decided they would write a group poem about their team’s color, blue. They took turns proposing ideas about the color blue, passing lines of poetry around the table.
Suddenly there was a disagreement and one student threatened, “If you want to write that, you can leave this group.” José interrupted, “Hey man, you wouldn’t like it if we said that about your line, so don’t say it about his,” and they continued working. The teacher never asked or taught the students to write a poem as a team. She didn’t need to, because on the soccer field the group had already discovered the kind of leadership, teamwork, and trust that makes for lively writers’ workshops.
The boys’ brainstorming session was raucous at times. The coach wisely decided not to scold the emerging poets for having a good time sharing creative ideas. Loud conversations became loud poems. They erupted with laughter and finished their poem when Luis suggested, “The color blue is the color of the end!” During the ritual author’s chair the boys performed their poem and listened to what their teammates wrote.
Blue
By Jose, Luis, Jair, Igorfer, Alvin of the Hillcrest Boys Team
Blue is the color around the world.
Blue is the color of our favorite times.
Blue is the color of our goals that are always golden.
Blue is our light to our eyes.
Blue is the taste of blue berries.
Blue is the best color.
Blue is the best like Hillcrest.
Blue is blood before you get cut.
Blue is the color of my imaginary friend.
Blue is the color of the end.
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