i'm not worthy

This year I've been assigned to teach a creative writing class as a free elective for 9-12 grades. It's something that I suggested many times thinking that a colleague would be great at. But for a long time we just didn't have the staff to cover an extra class. And that colleague is not in the classroom anymore.

It wasn't a "sure thing" until late in the summer. And most students had preregistered without the creative writing class as an option. So I had a class but no students. Suddenly I was nervous that no one would take the class. Just before the first day of school, I was told that 6 students had registered. Then 7. And the first few days of school added 3 more. A perfect 10. Whew! A sigh of relief.

And then, panic again - now what do I DO with this class?!?

I decided the first thing to do was to get the girls comfortable with each other. I have taught each of the girls in their younger days, and some of them are a tad shy. It will be a difficult year if the students are comfortable sharing and discussing their writings. We started with poems for two voices and poems for four voices. The assignment was simple - choose a partner, practice your reading, come to the front of the class and read the poem. Repeat with the poems for four voices.

Next up choose your group and write your own poem for 2 or 3 or 4 voices.

And today, they read their original poems to the group.

Their poems were great. And I didn't do any teaching - I just gave them an assignment. One student mentioned earlier this week that she has a blog. Then today another told me that she has a blog. And then another. These girls are going to be teaching me! And I may have a few guests posts in the near future.

This class is going to be such a challenge - for me. I'm definitely feeling the pressure to up my game. I have ask Melissa to be a guest speaker. And now that I know that some of the girls are bloggers, she MUST come. More than once.

Because I heard their poems today, and I'm not worthy.