All This Poetry is Messing Up My Mascara!

My students are threatening to re-name our poetry class “Crying Class.”
Last week we graduated from subtle swiping of tears to all out sobbing. The girls make a big show afterward of complaining about how they hate to cry, especially in public.
I, of course, launch into a lecture about how cryng is good and strong and [...]

Big Girls Do Cry

On J.’s first day at our school, where all of the students are teen moms, we happened to be having a special poetry reading. Our guest was Aleida Rodriguez, a well-known poet who has written emotionally moving poems about her mother. During the reading Aleida frequently broke into tears and then just as frequently apologized [...]