Six Tiny Words

This semester has brought a great thing to my life. Here it is in six words:

Teaching creative writing

Dream come true.

This week in the class, made up of 30 kids who LOVE to write, we are focusing on tiny texts. On Monday, I had them experiment with haiku, tanka, haibun, and pi-ku.  Today, it was the six word memoir.

I had them write about 5 or 6 of these, then choose the best to put on an index card. We then used the card for a "Conga" activity, where we lined up across from a partner, read our memoirs to each other, then Conga-lined down to meet new partners.  The memoirs are fine. Their enthusiasm for the activity...well, maybe a bit lukewarm.

Middle school students

don't like Conga.

Here are some selections from my students.  The first one refers to the current carnation sale going on for Valentines day, where they can buy a carnation to send to a friend. The rest I think are pretty self-explanatory, some working on multiple levels, some playful, some heartbreaking.

Carnations?

Who are they from...

Me.

I asked.  You answered. With silence.

Small

Chiseled

Crushed

Smashed

Found

Rebuilt

When life is

down, get

up.

My dog

A car

A crash

You said we were friends.

Backstabber.

Loading, Loading, Loading, Loading,

Loading...FINALLY

Shadows

just want

to be Free

 If they

had not

said it.

You know that

moment when...

#Unrelatable

You said you were fine.

Lies.

The rain

The gloom

The despair

I heard a 

cry.

I'm alone.