Somewhere Over the Rainbow with Karen Mason

Karen Mason sharing the love with some Kindergarten and Second Grade students

 

Life happens all at once. We usually focus on one thing more than another, but our myriad thoughts and actions are always bumping into each other.  Each one edifying the next, bringing clarity and new understanding. That's how I like to facilitate the learning in my classroom. We explore topics by making connections and allow themes to emerge naturally. Subjects do not happen in isolation, it's all connected. 

This year the Broadway Books First Class guest artist visits have not existed in isolation either. There is a throughline emerging and growing stronger with each performer. This happens as we examine their body of work. The children made deeper connections within social justice education, literacy, and social studies as we prepared to welcome Broadway stalwart Karen Mason this past December. 

It started with Jelani Alladin. The theme of the book he read, The Barnabus Project by The Fan Brothers, was "Nothing is impossible".  Jelani played Kristoff in Frozen on Broadway. In the animated movie his character was drawn as a white male with blonde hair. Jelani described how he was surprised and delighted that the director did not let that depiction constrain the sense of possibility when casting the role. Jelani has been successful in letting his talent open doors and challenging the heretofore narrow-minded views and standard operating procedure of casting. 

Tony Award nominee, Jessica Hecht, was our second guest. She has an impressive body of work that showcased for us the idea of conflict. What is conflict? How do we remain true to ourselves when who we are (i.e., religion, race, SES, etc.) is making us targets of racism, bigotry, and oppression? How do we tap into that inner core that tells us to stand tall and proud? How do we overcome? Where and when do tolerance and acceptance fit in? 

Karen Mason

Then, there is Karen Mason and her resume filled with incredible performances in spectacular shows. There is Mamma Mia!, Sunset Boulevard, Hairspray, Wonderland, and Love Never Dies. 

Shows that allowed the kindergarten and second grade students to continue to examine issues of tolerance and acceptance. Consider Hairspray and Love Never Dies. Both shows, in their way, deal with judging and excluding others for physical characteristics (e.g., body type and ideas of beauty) and race.  

As we revisit these themes across time, we are able to delve deeper into them and make those important connections. I knew we were on to something good when a student said, unprompted, that Tracy Turnblad's eventual inclusion in The Corny Collins Show was "Just like Jelani Alladin" when he talked about being cast in Frozen. We had opportunities to explore the unfortunate realities of our broken society and examine ways to take action to improve things. All based on the work of the guest artists!

Karen Mason sings Over the Rainbow with ASL interpretation by Rick Rubin

Another aspect I couldn't overlook was Karen's - almost tangible - joy of singing. The notion of passion and dreams is certainly another takeaway that spans all of the guest artist visits. I followed Karen on Instagram (@karenmasondiva) throughout the pandemic and was taken with how music lifts her up. This is someone who has found that thing that touches her soul. I believe it is a truly transcendent and joyful experience for her to lift her voice in song. The fact that her talents have opened up so many golden opportunities for her seems almost secondary to the fact that she simply gets to express herself artistically. 

One of the many questions the children had for her was, "Can you sing for us?" Karen happily obliged with a beautiful rendition of Over the Rainbow (including the lesser-known introduction). We all even joined her for the finale. Whereupon, she graced us with one of those fancy Broadway bows we've been practicing. 

Karen Mason reads The Pigeon HAS to go to School! by Mo Willems

All of this was wonderful, but no visit would be complete without a celebration of storytelling through the reading of a children's book. For Karen's visit, I chose The Pigeon HAS to Go to School! by Mo Willems. It is a fun book that provided a lighter tone to balance some of our heavier discussions. Although, never underestimate the gravitas inherent in the pigeon's ongoing dilemas.

Each child took home a hardcover copy of the book signed with a personalized message from Karen. During the book signing they even had an opportunity to see up close the crown she wore as the Queen of Hearts in the musical Wonderland on Broadway. That was pretty cool!

We may be in the midst of a pandemic surrounded by fear and worry, but there is no reason we cannot embrace passion and joy as well. We did that with Karen Mason, a story, and a song. And for that, we give thanks.

"Your voice is so beautiful, like a flower."

How The I Becomes the We

Cover Art: Olivia McGiff

Kim Weild, artistic director of Our Voices, pulled off an admirable accomplishment in orchestrating the completion of How the I Becomes the We under the constraints of an incredibly tight timeline.

The book is an eclectic collection of artwork, photography and children's writing designed to promote storytelling through writing, drawing and conversation. The components of narrative stories (e.g. setting, character and plot) are addressed individually, guiding children into the creative realm one sentence at a time. This structure is quite helpful for young children because narrative writing is the most challenging form of writing in lower elementary school.

The How the I Becomes the We project originated with Broadway Books First Class. I originally invited Kim to visit following her work as Associate Director on Amazing Grace the Musical. Her visionary leanings led to a three-day generative storytelling workshop developed in collaboration with a group of teaching artists (myself included).

Afterwards, Kim contacted designers and artists to illustrate the children's words and bring new dimension to their ideas.

Oni is depicted on the left signing while I am on the right holding a book

Illustration by Leontine Greenberg

How the I Becomes the We then morphed into a performance piece/children's show under Kim's direction.  It was performed in American Sign Language on The High Line as part of the Culture Shock Festival.

I was honored to take part in this project with such a talented group of performers (even though the long days of teaching and rehearsal left me exhausted and sick).

The Wolf Family on The High Line with Onudeah (Oni) Nicolarakis, Gary Wellbrock, Siena Rafter, John McGinty and Jon Riddleberger

Photo Credit: Nina Wurtzel

In the end I am left in awe of the creative, can-do spirit of the indefatigable Kim Weild who continues to push forward in her vision of equal access and opportunity.

I realize how lucky I am that for a brief time we got to walk hand-in-hand on that quest.  

Featured In...

Author Lenore Skenazy (pictured) wrote a lovely column this week about Broadway Books First Class for the newspaper Chelsea Now.

The article entitled His 'First Class' Idea: Bring Broadway to School is a fancy schmancy, bring-a-smile-to-my-face, piece that covers what transpired in our classroom during Gregory Jbara's visit.

Lenore captures a child's perspective on adult themes - I refer to this as poetic language in children - when a student refers to a graveyard as "the deadness".  Appropriate imagery with All Hallows' Eve just around the corner.

She deftly manages connections (between people, between time, and between situations) throughout the piece.  It is deeply gratifying to have Lenore's perspective and support on this new project.

Please check it out by clicking here.

Mistakes

Oni and I are diligent about establishing and maintaining a positive classroom culture.  We want our students to safely explore those risk-taking challenges that push them towards an A-Ha! moment.

Our beliefs are couched within the premise that in order to own the learning our students must enjoy the ride.

Kids in First Grade do not have it easy these days.  We assess and test their progress at every turn.  Recently within a two week period they had a social studies test, performance-based assessments in writing (both formative and summative), an end-of-unit test in Fundations (on the building blocks of reading), Diagnostic Reading Assessments (to establish independent and instructional reading levels), and a 24-Question math test on comparing numbers (it's more difficult than you might think).

We always frame the assessments within the parameters of the fact that it helps us teach them better.  Tests and assessments let us know how we are doing.

To promote this "It's okay to make mistakes" mentality one student brought in a picture she found and colored which read, "Mistakes are proof that you are trying".

She shared it with the class and -- with a spirit I heartily applaud -- another little girl defiantly stated, "No!  I make lots of mistakes and I don't try!"

It is impossible to impart how much I loved her screwed up face and confusion as she tried to wrap her head around that golden nugget of wisdom.  It showed me that she is always questioning.

And that is something I encourage most of all.

Be Filled With Love

The notes we get from our students during the last days of the school year are truly precious.  We had some touching sentiments and beautiful words of thanks but nothing struck me quite as deeply as this one from a 6-year-old who is clearly going on 40.

"Dear Gary and Oni,
I will miss you very much but always remember eat healthy and be filled with love and care.
From, Lina"

Overheard II

There is nothing quite like a child's perspective of the world. Sometimes their logic is so basic and genius that I wonder why we adults make life more complicated than it needs to be. And sometimes they make no sense at all - at least not to anyone but themselves. It is up to their audience to try to ascertain the meaning behind their utterances and actions.

I often tell myself to document the clever, odd little tidbits my students say but rarely remember to jot them down when they happen. And once it is said, it is gone.

However I have managed to collect a few;

Scene One:

This is an example of disconnected discourse in education. A situation in which the teacher is putting forth a message that is not getting through because the student has other things on his or her mind.

Teacher (during a reading conference about story elements): Take a look at the posters the class made showing the different places a story can happen. What is the setting in the book you are reading?

Student (perplexed): My eyebrows are moving by themselves.

She started moving her eyebrows up and down but it turns out that she was experiencing a bit of a twitch. Who knew?

Scene Two:

Every morning we write a message on the whiteboard to share information or ask a question. Lately when we write our messages we purposefully make errors in capitalization, punctuation and spelling and ask the children to "Edit this Message".

One morning we wrote the sentence 'if i had three bundles of sticks with ten sticks in each bundle how many sticks would there be all together' In editing this message a little boy came up to the board. We pointed to the 'i' and asked him if he could fix it.

Student: You mean it needs to be a big 'i'?

Teacher: Yes.

This is how he wrote it - 'if i had three bundles...'

We should have been more specific.

Scene Three:

This one is not school related but I got a kick out of it. I am with my friend's six-year-old daughter talking about music.

Gary: Which Jonas brother do you like the best?

She turns to me with wisdom beyond her years, a bit condescending and with perfect delivery.

Child: I'm not a fan.

(I love it!)

Scene Four:

Lauren and I took our class trip to Town Hall on 43rd Street to see a theater production based on the children's book series Nate the Great. As we are getting off the subway I am holding on tight to one particular little boy who is 'high strung' in an effort to keep him close.

When we are going through the subway turnstiles I go first and he follows closely behind. Maybe a little too close. As push my way through the turnstile he misjudges and gets hit with one of the metal spokes. Behind me I hear "oh, my nuts!"

I chuckle but keep walking. He'll learn.

Angels

Sammy's Angels.

My magical niece Samantha continues to amaze me. Last night she handed me a piece of paper on which she had written the names of her angels.

4 angels who watch over her.

Of course, I wanted to know how she knew their names. Sometimes her answers to these metaphysical questions are very vague while at other times they are so matter of fact "duh" that I feel silly for even having asked. But for this question she simply said "They told me".

According to her, the angels Kyle, Simon, Lennon and Joshua are with her during the night and if she pretends she is asleep she can catch a glimpse of them. They only tell her their names - no other conversation occurs.

I asked her if everyone has their own angels. Her reply, "Yes". However, according to her, your angels rotate and move on to help others. So the four angels who watch over her today may or may not be the same four next week. The angels are there for many reasons including to "protect me from the bad angels" (fallen angels?).

I asked her how I could find out the names of my angels and she said I could ask. As I lay on the futon last night I did just that. I opened up my mind to this question and let the answers come uncensored. Several interesting names came to me but when I awoke this morning only one name stuck out; Tony!

Tony does not seem to be an angelic name to me. I told Sammy this morning that I asked my angels to tell me their names but could only remember one name. I expressed doubt about an angel named Tony.

Gary: I don't think there is an angel named Tony. Don't you think that is a weird name for an angel.

Samantha: No, that's not strange.

Gary: Oh, okay.

What does one say after that?

She is so matter of fact about all of this. It seems as natural to her as a blue sky and green grass.

The extraordinary aspect of this is that her family are not church going folk. Good and bad angels? How would she know about this unless she knew about this, you know?

Give it a try tonight. Ask your angels to reveal themselves to you by name and let me know what names come to you. Utterly astonishing.

Update: My sister, Jennifer,  recently asked Samantha to describe one of her many angels and Sammy told about the angel Raphael.  She said he was a teenager with long hair and was holding something like a sword or an ax. So, Jennifer Googled 'angel Raphael' and discovered that Raphael is the archangel of healing.  Given the fact that Sammy is a self professed healer (she recently healed her kindergarten teacher and has great confidence in her ability) the coincidence was rather amazing.  That coupled with the fact that he is described as "a young man carrying a staff" is cause for goosebumps.

One of the images I found when I Googled 'the archangel of healing' was the picture on the right of Raphael guiding children safely across a bridge.  This is one of my favorite images and I have a copy of it hanging in the bedroom.  

Magical Samantha

My five-year-old niece Samantha "Sammy" is a self professed healer.

She also has conversations with people no one else can see, provides detailed accounts of the unseen things she observes and shares numerous bits of information that are just 'off' enough to make my sister wonder "is she making this stuff up or does it really exist?"

Never one to discount anyone with a gift, I recently got on the phone with Sammy and asked her about it. Our conversation went something like this:

Gary: Hi Sammy. Mommy told me that you can make people feel better, that you know how to make them feel better.

Samantha: I can heal.

Gary: (thinking 'duh' don't talk down to her. Use the right word: heal.) Right, that you can heal people. How do you do that?

Samantha: I focus my energy and concentrate and touch them or go above them.

Gary: What do you mean go above them?

Samantha: Over them.

Gary: Oh. Well, do you have to be with them? Can you heal them by thinking about them?

Samantha: Oh, I don't know about that.

She said that last bit with a genuine puzzlement that seemed so in contrast to her age. I could have been having this conversation with a 42-year-old woman rather than a five-year-old. What impressed me was that during our conversation she remained confident in her abilities (which I believe in as well) and unashamed by the possibility that this could be considered odd.

I have heard of other 'magical' children who learn to edit themselves and squelch their otherworldly perceptive gifts. I hope that Sammy holds onto hers. After all, it is not a bad thing to have a healer in the family.

There are quite a number of stories about the things she has seen - like the "bad man" in the house that scared her so much when she was two that she cried hysterically while climbing up my sister like Speedy Gonzalez or when she was four coming into the kitchen and asking my sister why she kept whispering her name...but my sister wasn't and no one else was home - and these stories do freak me out a bit. I think of The Amityville Horror or other scary ghost tales. But Sammy seems okay with it and I have decided to take my sister's advice and just go with it. I want to know more.

If there is anything I have learned this summer it is that the universe is full of unseen forces. It is up to us to learn to tap into the positive energy in order for healing of all kinds to begin. Healing of the body, mind and spirit yes, but also healing of this world mankind seems so eager to destroy.

So when I hear a child say "I can heal" I pay attention and hope it is not too late.

Overheard

There is a feature in the one of the free local papers in NYC which documents interesting snippets of conversation overheard across the five boroughs.  The dialogue, caught on the subway, a bus or while waiting on line at Starbucks, tends to be outrageously silly commentary that never fails to make me chuckle.

Taking this as my cue, I thought it would be equally amusing to begin to jot down some of the conversations I overhear in the classroom.  Most of the ones I am about to share stem from a child's attempts at constructing meaning.  In classrooms across this wonderful country of ours school children are coming to know the world through concepts and ideas.  To that end they often seek assistance from a more knowledge peer or teacher.  The lesson to be learned here is that when you find yourself in need of a helping hand it would behoove you to choose wisely. Otherwise you could end up with some slightly skewed information.

Scene One:

This conversation took place following a first grade math lesson on polygons.

Child #1:  What is a rhombus?
Child #2:  It's when you throw up in your mouth.

Scene Two:

This exchange took place during our daily morning meeting.  On this day we began talking about some new technology when a student asked "What is technology?"  Another student eagerly jumped in and loudly stated that "Technology is when you got nerd stuff".

Scene Three:

I am conducting a reading lesson and ask for a volunteer to come up and help me demonstrate how good reading partners help one another when they come across a difficult word.  

In American Sign Language the sign for volunteer (pictured left) is very similar to the sign for shirt. As I am asking for a volunteer (in sign) a young girl with a puzzled expression looks up at Lauren and says "Why is Gary asking for a shirt?"

Scene Four:

During writing workshop I walk past a table with three students who are having a heated debate about their favorite shows. As I pass I hear one child state very simply but with great conviction "Dora Sucks!" 

I scuttle quickly past so they won't see my smile.  (Dora is the animated lead character on the Nick Jr. show 'Dora the Explorer'.)

Scene Five:

This discussion took place between a teacher and a student during a tutoring session.  They just finished a guided reading lesson of the book By Myself.

Teacher:  What kinds of things do you like to do by yourself?
Student: Play hide and seek.

I don't think this child could have come up with a more smart ass answer if he had tried.  The fact that he was utterly serious added another dimension.   Think it through.

Scene Six:

A coworker is reviewing a lesson on maps with her class that she had taught the day before.  

Teacher:  Does anyone remember, or can you show me on the map, what state Las Vegas is in?
Student #1:  There it is in vagina.
Student #2:  (with obvious disdain for Student #1s response) No, it's not in vagina.  It's in west vagina.  

I can actually understand the confusion there.  For years as a child I was embarrassed by those bumper stickers that read "Virginia is for lovers" because I always misread them as "Vagina is for lovers".   'Nuff said.

(The picture at the top of the post was drawn by a girl learning to use quotation marks.  As part of her developing understanding of their use she internalized them to be necessary whenever anyone spoke.  She incorporated this into her drawings in an ingenious way - putting quotation marks around the mouth. Clever, clever!  Don't ya just love kids?)

Cupcake

The other day during bus dismissal I was reminded that children represent the best of what mankind can attain. 

I was chatting with a former first grade student that I affectionately call 'cupcake' - this is the artist, who after I remarked on the beauty of one her drawings last year replied "I don't go to art school for nothing" - she is truly outstanding in so many ways.  

I remember vividly her coming into the classroom last April and telling me that she was lucky. When I asked her why she said it was because she had long hair.  She spoke this without boastful pride or conceit. She simply enjoyed the fact that her hair was so long, past her waist, and was feeling blessed by that. 

This exchange becomes especially touching given our conversation last Thursday before she skipped off to her bus.

Gary: Wow!  Your hair is really long now.
Cupcake: I know.  And soon I am going to cut it off and give it to the kids who have cancer.
Gary:  Why are you going to do that?
Cupcake: So they won't die.

Oh, boy!  Imagine a seven-year-old with this incredible generosity and belief. Not only is she willing to part with something that brings her happiness but she believes that in doing so it can save someone's life.  I stood there amazed.  Truly amazed by this little girl with the bright smile and dimples.  

I think I could have been knocked over by a feather at this point - color me moved and amazed. I just knelt there smiling at her like an idiot.

And to finish me off she added...

Cupcake: And I am going to give my old clothes that don't fit me anymore to little kids who don't have a home so they can keep warm.

Tell me again, who is the teacher?

ASL Poetry

I was never a big fan of poetry; nursery rhymes and Mother Goose perhaps (is that a stretch?)and maybe a little Robert Frost at times, but generally I just was left standing on the side of the road with my thumb out waiting for the poetry truck to come give me a ride. Well, I was standing on a deserted road my friends.

However, I pride myself on keeping an open mind and have gained a new appreciation for this genre through my co-teacher Lauren's love and appreciation of it. We have been teaching together for the past five years so her influence has rubbed off a bit. Lauren is always excited to begin delving into poetry. Slowly, I have come around and if I have not exactly matched her enthusiasm, I have indeed grown to appreciate the possibilities.

Our study begins by immersing the children in poetry through read alouds and modeling. Shel Silverstein's Where the Sidewalk Ends and A Light in the Attic are both excellent resources. His poetry is playful, easily accessible and fun with clever illustrations. After a period of time exposing the students to various styles of poetry they naturally want to give it a go themselves which leads seamlessly into the unit on poetry writing.

We have been encouraging the students to write about things they know a lot about. Yesterday we sat together and threw out ideas for topics from which to draw upon in creating our poetry. The students raised their hands and suggested 'cats', 'food', and 'school'. All very civilized and polite, no excitement, just children doing their best to adhere to the prescribed program. Then someone mentioned Medusa and the shift in energy was palpable. I love when this happens and children are suddenly so engaged with the task at hand. The wheels were turning as they negotiated with one another how best to depict the story they knew so well into a new format.

This new format (ASL poetry) is one that I liken to acrostic poems. Acrostic poems are based on a word or phrase with each letter represented by the first word in the lines of a poem.
Here is an example, an Edgar Allan Poe poem titled simply An Acrostic:

Elizabeth it is in vain you say"

Love not" — thou sayest it in so sweet a way:

In vain those words from thee or L.E.L.

Zantippe's talents had enforced so well:

Ah! if that language from thy heart arise,

Breath it less gently forth — and veil thine eyes.

Endymion, recollect, when Luna tried

To cure his love — was cured of all beside —

His follie — pride — and passion — for he died.

See how it spells out Elizabeth?

Anyway, this idea is adapted for use with ASL poetry. ASL letter and number stories are fascinating to watch but also difficult to comprehend the first time because you are watching not only for the message but also for the numbers and letters being presented. The poet creates a story following a specific structure. For me, this is poetry at its finest. Clever and thoughtful.

Our students used the signed letters to tell of Medusa (M) slithering across the floor (E) as she comes closer and closer (D) to Perseus. Then the focus shifts to Perseus who sees her (U), is shocked, pulls out his sword, cuts her head off (S) and finally holds it up in victory (A).

The sign language alphabet can be spelled out in different handshapes; each one representing a different letter. MEDUSA is printed above and I did this so that those of you who are not familiar with American Sign Language (ASL) can watch out for them in the video below.



After I made this video (in my classroom this morning using our MAC) I realized that the 'tapestry' the children made for Medusa was hanging right behind me. I couldn't have planned it better if I had tried.

I wish that I could show some of the students signing their own poems. We have some good ones; Super A-hole wrote one entitled "Cyclops", the "I Spilled Myself" girl wrote a fantastic poem called "Book" and Blue's Clues boy wrote an ASL number story about Spider-Man. I will include some of their written poetry at a later date (meaning when they write it). I am sure it will be amazing. They always are!

Run That By Me Again

Teaching first grade can be a lot of fun especially if you have a good sense of humor and get a kick out of interacting with children. I've got that in spades. Every day I am in awe of the fresh perspective my students hold regarding the simplest things. They have not yet learned to box themselves into 'standardized' ways of thinking so anything goes as far as creating unique utterances and ways of expressing themselves. This means that I am constantly supplied with fresh stories to share with my nearest and dearest. However this week there were three things that made me laugh (in varying degrees) and I feel compelled to share them in this forum.

Yesterday Lauren and I explored symmetry with the class. In order to clearly demonstrate this we modeled taking a piece of paper, folding it in half and cutting a curved line along the folded edge. When the paper was opened it revealed a heart. Thus: symmetrical. The kids gave it a go by cutting their own papers into various designs and afterwards we all examined the shapes. During this time Lauren started to cut out letters for our students whose first names began with letters that could be cut out in this way and remain symmetrical. One girl brought her letter "A" home and decorated it with shiny red circle stickers. She showed it to me early this morning and I was duly impressed. Me likes the shiny!

While the students put away their book bags and went about performing their morning jobs she taped the giant A to her shirt. It was about this time that I heard:

"Super A-hole to the rescue!"

She was 'flying' around the room like a super hero repeating over and over...

"Super A-hole to the rescue!".

As you can imagine I stopped in my tracks and gave a closer listen. Yep, that's what she was saying. Only by now some of the other children were joining in the chorus by saying that this child was a "Super A-hole" and they were calling out her super hero name so she could save them from some terrible danger. Huh? I slowly walked over and asked her where she had heard that. She told me she made it up because 'A' has a big hole in it and her pink shirt was showing through.

I quietly informed her that she might want to rethink her super hero name, perhaps adopting George O'Connor's KAPOW! character "American Eagle" since they both start with the letter A. One can only try to steer them in the right direction. The choice is theirs. Super A-hole spent the day saving others and spreading good will to all.

Another amusing bit came earlier this week and like the "I Spilled Myself" story it also involves a bit of bathroom humor. Anyway...I was walking a boy to the bathroom yesterday and he was explaining to me that he had to go to the bathroom the night before but 'saved' it until the morning. He also 'saved' it that morning on the bus. Of course he meant that he held it but really is there such a difference? They both mean the same thing after all, and how did 'holding it' take off?

Finally on Monday the class was involved in our morning meeting, sharing news and discussing various upcoming events. One topic was an upcoming birthday on Friday. One boy stood up, walked to the calendar and said the birthday was tomorrow - again, again, again. He was saying that the birthday was four days from now but chose to express himself in a novel way. I like it. It reminds me of how children count when they are first learning. Instead of counting 38, 39, 40, many children will say 38. 39, 30 10. It makes sense. I was told that that is how the Chinese learn to count - not in arbitrary numbers but in concepts and grouping. Interesting no?

I have two days left of the week. I wonder what fresh perspectives await.

"I Spilled Myself"

By now we have all been well initiated into the idea that "kids say the darnedest things". This has been perpetuated by the countless emails that are endlessly forwarded and highlighted in movies like Kindergarten Cop. We all chuckle when kids innocently mention the naughty bits or blurt out intimate details of their parents private lives. (I am here to tell you that sitting in a parent teacher conference after knowing such information adds new shades of color to the meeting.) But in focusing on this aspect of children as they learn what is appropriate in polite society and work out the rules of social discourse we lose track of the poetry in their language.

The other day I had a little six year old girl in my class turn to me during Reading Workshop with a surprised expression on her face. In her small, angelic voice she said, "Gary, I spilled myself". While she waited for me to take action I was lost in thought. I was so impressed by what she has just said. It was so much more poetic than saying "I just peed in my chair". Have I ever said anything so descriptive, that caught the moment so clearly? I spilled myself. That about says everything you need to know.

It has been days since this happened and I am still thinking about it. And I am on the lookout for this sort of rich language in use. How many golden nuggets do I hear each day, how many do you hear from the children in your lives and never take heed? Well, I want to know. So start tuning in.

I also wonder why it is that all children seem capable of producing this spontaneous, poetic language while it is a foreign domain for adults. I have a theory. As adults we have a vast store of clichés from which to draw and do not need to think of new ways to express ourselves. Everything we want to say has probably already been said. And it is difficult for new sayings to catch on. For years I walked around with a tidbit that I would use to wrap-up conversations. I would (and still do) say "Six days does not a week make". My friend Joy would tease me that I made it up and I would fight her on that point. This has gone on for years and just when I started to believe that it WAS actually my own personal saying I attended the Broadway revival of Barefoot in the Park and realized that I was not the author of that phrase, Neil Simon was.

I was saved however by a dream that brought on a new phrase. It is "I was blowing on a tea string". This is said in instances where you come to realize that you are believing or hoping in vain. This is stressing the useless nature of your actions. So far this saying has not caught on. I am also wondering if I heard it before I fell asleep one evening and am now claiming it for my own.

At any rate, I do not think that I will ever achieve the kind of poetry that is "I spilled myself". All I can do is remain receptive to the configuration of words around me and document them. Wouldn't it be cool to get a forwarded email some day whose topic is the poetry of young children? If I keep my eyes and ears tuned in I may just be the originator of it. I will keep you posted...