Poetry Friday/Poetry Doodles/Cinquain/Daring
Autumn Roots (Cinquain)
Gingko
living fossil
maiden hair fans, flutter
Persephone’s golden Autumn
goodbye
Happy Poetry Friday! So how are poetry, doodles and daring related? It’s a personal journey.
First, I love the combination of words and pictures, poetry and visual expression. Doodles are fun! They are also kid friendly to draw, so here comes the daring part… After many (many) years of teaching elementary curriculum (other people’s stuff) I’m working on poetry workshops for students this fall – which do include doodle art, poems, and more…
I was surprised by the butterflies! I currently have that new and nervous feeling about teaching “my own stuff.” I’ve narrowed down what I’d like to teach, but it feels so new – which feels weird after writing so many lesson plans over the years. I’m working through workshop options this July and have interest in running some workshops in the district where I worked for most of my teaching career.
Back to the Gingko tree… once on an Autumn walk with my husband, we rounded a gravel and wooded path. There on the trail’s edge were hulking old oaks and slimline maples and one little Gingko tree. All the other trees had done the usual thing and overtime dropped their leaves in smatterings and scatterings – but not the Ginkgo…
Every single leaf, surrounded its bare branches and trunk, a complete circle on the ground. The leaf-ring glimmered in the late afternoon sunlight like a golden fairy skirt. The Gingko is all in! So on this Poetry Friday, I hope whatever you “dare” to write, or do next – you feel a little bit of the Gingko. A go-for-it attitude, even if it’s new and may give you butterflies. I’m channeling my inner Gingko- excited to try out poetry workshops with students, this coming school year, and see where this new adventure goes.
Linda Mitchell is hosting the Poetry Friday Roundup, check out her wonderful Substack: Linda Mitchell filled with an inspirational childhood quote collection and this week’s Poetry Friday poems.
Happy creating, Jill
jilldailey.com 
I love “Persephone’s golden Autumn goodbye”! Your ginkgo doodle is wonderful. The kids who do your workshops will be lucky!
Thank you, Tabatha! I’m looking forward to the next adventure with kids and poetry:)
I love your cinquain so much, especially that “golden Autumn/goodbye” and the amazing doodles. You have inspired me to do some doodling this week. Your workshops will be SO AMAZING! Pairing poetry with doodling is brilliant! Thank you for all this poetry and art goodness and inspiration, Jill!
Thank you, Mona:) I’m happy thinking about your doodling this week! Very excited about the next teaching/poetry adventure!
I love your ginkgo doodle and maiden hair fans, flutter. You are going to love working with kids and poetry and art. I did that this past year and was really worried about it, especially since my last years of teaching were only with small groups of gifted kids. But it was fabulous. I can’t wait to start again next year. I hope we have the opportunity to share resources and experiences. Will you be at Poetry Palooza at Boyds Mills in November?
Hi Margaret thank you and yes, I will be at Poetry Palooza! I’m glad to know you are too and that you had a good year of teaching poetry with larger groups. Isn’t it interesting how we seasoned teachers can still get butterflies:) I would love to chat and share resources with you at Poetry Palooza in November!
Will you be driving or flying? I have a to fly and want to connect with a group traveling from the airport.
No airport for me for this retreat, I’m driving, it’s 3-4 hours. We have a family visit intertwined in the trip too. I have family nearby in Upstate NY. I wonder if you can post something in the classroom they set up, to connect with others? Excited for the event and look forward to meeting you!
This is my first time to go, so I didn’t know about the “classroom”. I’ll check into it.
oooooh, that feeling of daring is exciting. I’ll bet your workshops will be a hit! And, you know, you learn at least as much as any of your students–which is a built-in bonus. I know if that doodles and poetry would be my first choice of activity as a kid. Best of luck! Your ginko leaves as maiden hair is so pretty.
Happy summer vacation, Linda, woot, woot! Thanks, I appreciate your kind words about the poetry workshops and yes, learning with students will be a great part of this “daring” new adventure! Hope you have a relaxing and creative summer:)
More challenges? Doodle art? I’m just getting started with the paint and paper! -lol — You have challenged me this summer and I have something to send to you, Jill. Will you email me your mailing address (patricia@patriciajfranz.com)?
Hi Patricia, yay, glad you have some summer challenge fun lined up:) There is something special about summer time creating, a relaxing vibe, I think. Yes, I’ll email you the info., happy creating!
Jill, there is excitement in your writing. Daring plays a part. Providing workshops for children is a special treasure so dig in and create the activities. After retiring from decades of teaching children how to read and becoming a districtwide administrator, I went into unretirement working with all types of teachers through a variety of workshops. It is exhilerating and fun so enjoy your new chapter of life.
Hi Carol, I love the word “unretirement,” and I’m glad to know you have a teaching background as well. Appreciate your kind words, and I do feel that excitement building. I miss teaching, in many ways, and hope these workshops will be an interesting new way to connect with children:) Thank you!
Your ideas and coming workshops sound like they’ll be loved, Jill. I used to have my students do what we called “scribble art”. They would make a scribble on art paper, then imagine something! It was amazing what they produced, & lots of fun, as I imagine your groups will have! I love “like a golden fairy skirt”, ah, the gingko’s magic!
Hi Linda, nice to meet you:) I’m glad to know you did this with students and scribble art will be a fun addition to student workshops. It’s been a favorite of mine too. My dad used to sit at the kitchen table with me when I was little and ask me to scribble, then make something out of it! Fun, imaginative, play:) Thanks for stopping by and happy creating to you:)
Jill, You go girl! Your workshops will be fabulous! You already have experience with teaching the kiddos, so using your own curriculum will be a breeze. I taught curriculum I developed for an afterschool garden club for 15 years. It was great fun and I got as much out of it as the kids! Enjoy your special sessions! Love the do it with Ginko at the end!
I, too, love “Persephone’s golden Autumn goodbye” and “living fossil”. I hope your class goes well.
Thank you, Jone and your student lessons are an inspiration! I love how you weave poetry into your classroom subbing; how you support students’ writing and their creative process:)
Creating art of any kind is best kind of daring! I love the excitement, vulnerability, honesty, and enthusiasm of your post, Jill. Channel it all! “Persephone’s golden autumn” — ah, just so lovely!
Appreciate your kind words, Karen:) Love the way you framed it, creating is the best kind of daring!