Poetry

On a recent assignment, my 3rd year students were asked to write simple 4 line poems in English (not haiku). After writing 2 of said poems, one of my students went and wrote the following poem on his own:
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Why do people hurt each other?
Is there anything good in that way?
There is just a decay of their heart.
Because they can't have heart, they can't feel sad.
But they are still human, they will have grief.
So, I'll say, stop beating!
I can't understand why they keep beating.
Go back to the true heart.
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Ok, so I cleaned up the spelling mistakes and the grammar a bit, but I mean come on. That is amazing stuff for a 14 year old who is (most likely) in his 3rd year of learning English. I just wanted to share that with all of you.

Also, here is an excerpt from the 3rd year's textbook. It is a story that I have had to read to them many times, and now they are working on memorizing it and repeating it back to me (in 4 section chunks).

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A big, old tree stands by a road near the city of Hiroshima. Through the years, it has seen many things.

One summer night the tree heard a lullaby. A mother was singing to her little girl under the tree. They looked happy, and the song sounded sweet. But the tree remembered something sad.

"Yes, it was some sixty years ago. I heard a lullaby that night, too."

On the morning of that day, a big bomb fell on the city of Hiroshima. Many people lost their lives, and many others were injured. They had burns all over their bodies. I was very sad when I saw those people.

It was a very hot day. Some of the people fell down near me. I said to them, "Come and rest in my shade. You'll be alright soon."

Night came. Some people were already dead. I heard a weak voice. It was a lullaby. A young girl was singing to a little boy.

"Mommy! Mommy!" the boy cried.

"Don't cry," the girl said. "Mommy is here." Then she began to sing again.

She was very weak, but she tried to be a mother to the poor little boy. She held him in her arms like a real mother.

"Mommy," the boy was still crying.

"Be a good boy," said the girl. "You'll be all right." She held the boy more tightly and began to sing again.

After awhile the boy stopped crying and quietly died. But the little mother did not stop singing. It was a sad lullaby. The girl's voice became weaker and weaker.

Morning came and the sun rose, but the girl never moved again.
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So yeah. It's kinda awkward being an American reading a sad story about the horrors of the nuclear bomb dropped on Hiroshima. The students don't really care though, they think it's hilarious to hear the "Mommy! Mommy!" part. Teenagers...When I first read this, I was struck by how sad it was, but that emotion is lost on them somehow...

So I know what you are all thinking, where the heck is Tessa? Doesn't she post on this blog too? She's a bit burned out and promises to post more when our 6 WEEK SUMMER VACATION starts in 4 days. Woooooo! Remamber, ANYONE can post here! Your comments are what helps keep us going! That's all for now. As my students are fond of saying, "seeyou!"