Writing Wall

Writing Survey

Click here to take our survey and give feedback about what would help you be more engaged and excited about your writing class. 

Poetry Contest Announcement

Our school will have a poetry contest that will take place in the month of April. You can submit up to three poems on a (school-appropriate) subject of your choice.  There will be two options for participation. 

1.  You can enter the written poem competition. These poems will be evaluated using the rubric that we'll be adding to the site shortly.

2.  You can also enter the spoken-word competition.  If you choose this method of participation you will perform your poem at the All School Meeting in April.  The rubric used to evaluate your performance will be added here soon. 

We can't wait to read and hear your poems!

Soft Speaking

Why is it that we as a human species are often afraid to speak the truth?  Why do we "gentle" what we say by using euphemisms and language that softens the true meaning behind them?  Naomi Shihab Nye wrote this poem about an incident in the West Bank when a young man was murdered by a  bullet fired by an Israeli army official.  The officer used live ammunition to break up Palestinian youths who were throwing rocks, and the bullet struck and murdered Zeid who was in his home at the time.  She objects to the term "stray bullet" and highlights the softening implications of the word "stray." I love the line, "no bullet like a worried cat/crouching under a bush." 

Here's the reality--live ammunition kills and injures, and anytime a bullet is fired there exists that likelihood.  This isn't just an issue in other countries, but everywhere including in our own neighborhoods in Chicago.  A google search for "stray bullets Chicago" pulled up too many articles of people whose lives were ended by bullets, of families and friends who will forever be without their loved one.  Does "naming it mildly" minimize the outrage and thus lessen the action that people take?  Leave your thoughts about Nye's poem in the comments section.