Educator Note:
Emily Trono
The English High School, Boston, MA USA
As a history teacher, I often focus on non-fiction, argumentative reading and writing. My students joke that my most frequent question is, “Why?” I always ask students to support their claims with evidence, to say more. We discuss and debate content, and students are encouraged to contribute stories and personal experiences.
Yet, when I was designing a Latin American History course for newcomer students, I set aside the typical genre of the discipline, and instead featured poetry. I wanted to get to know my students, and to build relationships. I wanted them to listen to each other’s voices and reflect on their identities through the creative writing process. My hope was that this would help ground the content of the course. My students are in their first three years of school in the contiguous United States. While almost all are Spanish speaking from the Caribbean or Central America, they do not all come from the same country or culture. Some have written poetry, and some never have. Some were ready to jump into poetic expression, while others were more hesitant.
To support all learners, I created a writing assignment using a model poem. First, we read and analyzed the poem “I Am from Quisqueya la Bella” by Amiris Ramírez. We discussed the different aspects of the author’s identity and the importance of place and culture on her identity. After studying the structure of the poem, I guided students through the process of writing a poem of their own based on the model’s structure. Students could iterate by closely following the model, or they could explore their own unique style and voice.
The process of drafting these poems was a highlight of this school year. The original poem is written in both Spanish and English, and I encouraged students to do the same. Students delighted in describing aspects of their home they cherished and missed. Many are excited for new opportunities in the United States, but leaving home is always fraught, and complicated. Writing poetry, I think, allows students to reflect on and process their emotions in a way that an argumentative essay never could. They described the food, the scenery, and the people. Following the structure of the model poem was, in a way, liberating to some students; it allowed them to have a concrete stepping stone, a basis from which they could start to develop their own voice.
While writing, it was beautiful to see students sharing their thoughts with others, asking for help with translation, and just discussing aspects of their identity important to them. Editing poems with students helped me gain further insight into their home, their community, and their values. Students read aloud their poems to the class, allowing us to compare ways we are similar and different.
I asked a handful of students to further develop their poems for this magazine, and to share their poems with the wider school community at an assembly. I am so proud of these students who said yes to the challenge of additional revision, and of sharing their work with the public. I will never forget the look on the faces of two students in particular, after they read their work to an audience of 100 peers. Their faces shone with pride in themselves, their identities, their accomplishments, and their homeland.
I am grateful to Young Radish for giving students the opportunity to see their names in print. Seeing your words, your voice published is empowering. It is such an honor to support young people to share who they are with the world.
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Emily Trono has taught in Boston Public Schools for almost 13 years, and continues to find joy in her work. Originally from Vermont, she now lives in Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts with her husband and two young sons.
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