In celebration of National Poetry Month, I will be sharing in each post during April a favorite quote from a favorite poet on poetry. Enjoy!
"Encourage children to read and write poetry and they will be encouraged to reach into themselves and articulate feelings and dreams. Clearly a good science report and a good poem are not created by the same process. And yet it is common to judge children's accomplishments only in terms of action and concrete production. The notes and study that go into the science report are easy to appreciate, but daydreaming and reflection, those silent pursuits that lead one inside oneself, are generally dismissed as inaction and therefore a waste of time. The imagination is a temperamental beast. Shy of groups and timetables, it thrives on solitude and freedom." - Karla Kuskin
from NEAR THE WINDOW TREE: poems and notes by Karla Kuskin (HarperCollins, 1975)
I love Karla Kuskin, and have many of her books, including this one, Irene. We value solitude and freedom very much at my school, believe students need that time for thinking! Their busy structured lives outside of school don't offer much of it, perhaps until bedtime. Thanks for the beautiful quote!
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