National Poetry Month comes around every April, and it is a time to remember and to celebrate poetry as writers, as readers, as human beings. Most ELA teachers know that reading poems and writing poems go hand in hand. Still, not everyone has uncovered and discovered what poetry can do for them, and that is where we teachers come in. So how do we invite students to define what poetry is and what it can do for the self, for others, for humanity? Ethical ELA talked to Stefanie Rittner, an eighth grade ELA teacher outside of Chicago, about how she uncovered the power of writing poetry with her students this April by blogging, what she learned, and how she will bring those lessons into the next school year.
Ethical ELA: How did you make space and time in your class for students to participate in the poetry blog this year?
Stefanie Rittner: We began nearly every day with free-write time. I projected blog inspiration for them to ponder. Then they could choose to explore blog with iPad (which I left open for them to read and respond to others’ writing and/or write and post themselves), or they could keep their writing private in their free-write notebook. Many seemed to start privately and then post on blog as they became inspired by other writers.
Ethical ELA: What did you notice in your students (emotionally and skill-wise) as they crafted poems throughout the month?
Stefanie Rittner: I noticed them giving poetry a try in a way I haven’t seen them do in past years when I explicitly taught poetry forms and techniques. I’m not sure what is to credit necessarily, but I have a feeling it has something to do with the sense of community the blog offered. They could chose to remain anonymous in their profile and write about truths they may have kept hidden from even themselves. But there was always someone there to offer words of comfort in a reply. I’ll never forget some of their confessions or “the best part of me” poems.
And I also noticed them writing quicker as the month went on. Instead of brooding over the right word or the right metaphor, some were publishing poems of substance under 10 minutes.
Ethical ELA: You hosted an open mic as a culminating event. What made that event meaningful for you and your students?
Stefanie Rittner: This event gave students a new challenge: true exposure of their lives, feelings, thoughts, etc. No longer were their words just printed on a screen for someone to chose to read. They were the ones choosing what the audience needed to hear. I saw several of my students, who in other areas might be labeled as reluctant learners, stand proudly on that stage. In fact, I think it’s important to note which students showed up for event. None of my “high-achieving”, “teacher-pleasing” students came to the event. Instead, our evening of poetry seemed to attract a more “at-risk” crowd, which screams to me how much our school needs poetry.
Ethical ELA: Will you do the blog/open mic next year? What might you do differently?
Stefanie Rittner: Absolutely! The only thing I can think of to do differently is to offer this type of writing community event more often. Maybe it wouldn’t be a 30poems challenge each time, but I do think having 2-3 Open Mic nights throughout the year would be worth considering.
Resources
To promote your open mic, post signs, post an accessible sign up sheet, and, if you have school announcements, create an informational video to share. Work with the music department to cross-promote poetry and music open mic. The music department can help with setting up the mic.
Here is a look at the 30 poem blog. 
Students can make a chapbook of their poems. Here is a Word file with some poems from a student that might work as a template, but there are other template available online.
Here is a list of 30 inspiration prompts, but always encourage your poets to write about whatever is in their hearts and minds that day.