Retirement? Not a Chance!
The Poetry and Song Celebration 2015-2016 was one of my favorite events of the year and here is why…
Three or four months ago I was having dinner with an old friend and former business partner named Roger. During our conversation, Roger kept going on and on about how wonderful his retirement was; how he could go golfing, or travel, anytime and anywhere he wanted… How he had the time to pursue his interests in life and not worry about having to be at a particular place or time for an appointment, etc. and that’s cool!
At one point, Roger asked me when I was going to retire and start enjoying my life more fully. I just smiled because I am currently enjoying my life to the fullest… serving as a teacher in an elementary school!
This is the way I begin many of my days Roger, so pay attention! Each year I require my 5th-grade literacy students to memorize up to 12 classic poems–or other favorite poems of mine–and a few “fun” songs.
Every spring we take a class period to share those poems and songs with other classes, or the principal, or parents who can find the time to come in during the school day.
However, this year I decided to record this event on video. I also decided to present it in this format so that all parents, to include other interested parties, could watch and enjoy what their children have worked so hard on throughout the year in preparation for this annual event. I hope you enjoy watching our “Poetry and Song Celebration 2015-2016,” especially you Roger, as much as my students enjoyed making it!
"Poetry and Song Celebration" 2015-2016
"Poetry and Song Celebration" 2015-2016
Memorized poems and songs in the video include the following in order of performance: SHOUT by Brod Bagert, Trees by Joyce Kilmer, Self-pity by D. H. Lawrence, We Are Going To Be Friends by The White Stripes, Growing by Mary Ann Hoberman, Flanders Fields by Lt. Col. John McCrae, If I Can Stop by Emily Dickinson, Edelweiss by Rogers and Hammerstein, Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost, Little Boy Blue by Eugene Field, The Hollow Men by T. S. Eliot, O Captain My Captain by Walt Whitman, Invictus by William Ernest Henley, and Waltzing Matilda.
Works Cited
Poems and Songs – SHOUT: Lafayette School Poetry on Parade. (2011, March 28). Lafayette School Poetry on Parade: Shout It! Shout It! Poetry Monday. Retrieved from http://lafpoetryonparade.blogspot.com/2011/03/shout-it-shout-it-poetry-monday.html. Trees: Poetry Foundation. (n.d.). Trees by Joyce Kilmer | Poetry Magazine. Retrieved from https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/poems/detail/12744. Self-pity: All Poetry. (n.d.). Self-Pity by D H Lawrence – Famous poems, famous poets. – All Poetry. Retrieved from https://allpoetry.com/Self-Pity. We Are Going To Be Friends: AZLyrics. (n.d.). THE WHITE STRIPES LYRICS – We’re Going To Be Friends. Retrieved from http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/whitestripes/weregoingtobefriends.html. Growing: LEYF Nurseries. (2013). Growing poem [Photo]. Retrieved from https://www.flickr.com/photos/leyf/10066595594://. Flanders Fields: Poets.org. (n.d.). In Flanders Fields – Poems | Academy of American Poets. Retrieved from https://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poem/flanders-fields. If I Can Stop: PoetHunter.com. (n.d.). If I Can Stop One Heart From Breaking, Poem by Emily Dickinson – Poem Hunter. Retrieved from https://www.poemhunter.com/poem/if-i-can-stop-one-heart-from-breaking/. Edelweiss: Wikipedia. (n.d.). Edelweiss (song) – Wikipedia. Retrieved January 24, 2017, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edelweiss_(song). Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening: Poetry Foundation. (n.d.). Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost | Poetry Foundation. Retrieved from https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems-and-poets/poems/detail/42891. Little Boy Blue: Rick’s website. (1999, February 4). Little Boy Blue, by Eugene Field. Retrieved from http://www3.amherst.edu/~rjyanco94/literature/eugenefield/poems/poemsofchildhood/ littleboyblue.html. The Hollow Men: All Poetry. (n.d.). The Hollow Men by T S Eliot – Famous poems, famous poets. – All Poetry. Retrieved from https://allpoetry.com/The-Hollow-Men. O Captain, My Captain: Poetry Foundation. (n.d.). O Captain! My Captain! by Walt Whitman | Poetry Foundation. Retrieved from https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems-and-poets/poems/detail/45474. Invictus: Poetry Foundation. (n.d.). Invictus by William Ernest Henley | Poetry Foundation. Retrieved from https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems-and-poets/poems/detail/51642. Waltzing Matilda: Trishan’s Oz. (n.d.). Waltzing Matilda | Lyrics | Song | Meaning | Words | Music | Poem. Retrieved from http://panique.com.au/trishansoz/waltzing-matilda/waltz.html.
