2009 Poetry and Stories by 6th Grade Students of Fairfield Middle School

The art of instruction does not come from the act ofverbally spilling out obtained knowledge, hoping thatsomeone will catch enough to impact them in some way.Learning, in the same sense, can not be truly obtainedthrough passive actions. To truly instruct and learn, thoseinvolved must be engaged and stimulated by whatsurrounds them and engrossed in the task at hand. Anunderstanding and trust must be developed between aninstructor and student so there is a level of teacher/learnerin one hand and a feeling of mutual respect in the other.Poetry is one of the most simplistic, but yet complex,expressions of instruction and learning. On the surface itappears as if one only needs a pencil, a paper, and a directionto take their thoughts with poetry. But if one delvesdeeper, you find that there is a much more complicatedworld. An instructor must be able to create an environmentwhere students feel safe to express their feelings andreveal parts of their lives to those around them. Thoughts,emotions and actions may be expressed through poetrythat students have never shared with others. Vulnerability,toughness, hope and despair can all be intertwined into anexpression of one's self through minimal use of the writtenword. If an instructor and students can becomeabsorbed in the process, something magical can resultfrom their efforts.~~ ~~ The ability to organize one's thoughts, harness the emotions,and simplify the expression into a few words is noeasy task at all. The confidence to share that task takeseven more courage as it reveals a piece of each author. Inthe following, you will find poetry written by the 6thgraders at Fairfield Middle School. It is the hope of thestudents and instructor that you find as many magicalmoments reading their poetry as they did creating thepieces found in this book.