Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/5535
Write stuff Continued from page 23 “Poetry is a way of getting kids to write about what’s important to them,” says Bohigian. “You learn about their lives, about their relationships and how they handle conflict. It’s all part of the human story. I have chi ldren who are homeless and in foster care. Our kids are l iving l ives we cannot even imagine. For some students, po- ems are so personal that they use a pseudonym.” Poems can help students cope. One student’s father died last spring of can- cer, and poetry is helping that student to process the event. “Some things are too hot to handle without the protection of a metaphor,” says Bohigian. “The right metaphor can help you deal with something far too painful to write about or talk about directly.” Some of her students have had their work published in local periodicals, including one printed by CSU Fresno. Many attend the Annual Young Writ- ers Conference at the university. But the best thing, say students, is feeling that they belong to a community of wr i ters once they enter Bohigian’s classroom. “Here, you can express deep feelings you are not able to tell others,” says Al- ice Pa, a sophomore. “Writing poetry makes me happy,” TOP: Sophomores Megan Gainey and Serenity Marmolejo in a poetry class at Roosevelt High in Fresno. says Serenity Marmolejo, also a sopho- more, after reading aloud her poem ti- tled “Silver Sun,” describing what it’s like to “live between worlds.” “Usual ly I’m kind of quiet,” says Marmolejo. “I don’t fit in anyplace. But here, we all fit in.” Designed to advance your career Credentials and Certificates • Multiple and Single Subject • Administrative Credentials • CTEL • Education Counseling • School Psychology • Special Education • Reading and Language Arts • Child Life Specialist Bachelors • Liberal Studies • Child Development Knowledge • Service • Vision 38 California Educator | december 2009 • january 2010 Ranked as One of America’s Best Colleges - Forbes Magazine, August 2009 Masters • Educational Management • School Counseling • Special Education: Mild/Moderate • School Psychology • Reading • Special Emphasis • Child Life • Child Development • Advanced Teaching Doctoral • Organizational Leadership (Ed.D.) COLLEGE OF EDUCATION & ORGANIZATIONAL LEADERSHIP