Over the summer I heard about a great program, #KidsNeedMentors. Organized by Kristin Crouch, Kristen Piccone, Jarrett Lerner and Ann Braden, it connects authors with classrooms. While I was working on The Firefly Code, I had partnered with Ms. Albrecht’s class at the Clinton School for Writers and Artists. That was a terrific experience so I signed right up for #KidsNeedMentors and was paired with Ms. D’Aulisa’s fourth grade class in Oceanside, NY.

In our first conversation, I challenged the kids to go out into the world and notice. This is something I do all the time as a writer: I notice things, I ask questions, and I try to answer these questions. The students were working on free verse narrative poems, and so I started writing some of those, too. I found myself not writing in my own voice, necessarily, but in the voices of kids. I can picture them all in the class, writing away (or not writing!). Writing poems is difficult for me, and sharing them even more so. However, in the spirit of the program, I wanted to start sharing some of my work. I thought it would be interesting for students to see what I noticed alongside the poem, so I used Canva to make a graphic. I took a deep breath, and sent it off to the class with the following note:

Dear friends,
Have you been noticing? I hope so! I decided it was only fair that I write poetry, too. Poetry is really hard for me, but it’s a rewarding kind of challenge. I am still working on my poem about Tyco, my leopard gecko, but I wanted to share this poem I wrote today. While out on a morning walk (a great time for noticings), I saw this leaf with frost around the edges. I thought it was really beautiful. 

The word Frost made me think of the poet Frost and I wondered if I could write a poem based on one of his. Last year I read a wonderful book called One Last Word by Nikki Grimes. It is a book of Golden Shovel poems based on the work of Harlem Renaissance poets. In a Golden Shovel poem you choose one line from a poem. Then you take each word from that line and make it the last word of each line of your poem. Sounds confusing, but it’s actually pretty simple! I chose the Robert Frost poem “Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening” and the line “Between the woods and frozen lake.” Then I wrote this poem.

I can’t wait to read some of your poems!

Your friend,

Megan

I plan to write more of these poems, and perhaps other types of writing that the students are learning. I hope this inspires the students in Ms. D’Aulisa’s class, and maybe other students as well. I plan to share them on Instagram (@megbmore) and Twitter (@meganbfrazer) if you’d like to follow and read. Teachers, if your students notice and write, I’d love to see their work!