Travelin' Local

I am a seashell

waiting for

somebody to see

me.

I am shiny and

curled up like a

cinnamon roll.

I’m rough and

sandy.

I swim

with the

sea and

the sea

with me.

I am

cold inside

so if you

touch me

you’ll shiver and

quiver.

I swim

around the

sea with

animals living

inside of me.

I’m joyful

in the sea

with fishes

and sea

creatures

surrounding me.

I like

being a

shell

because

people

can hear

the sea

inside of

me.

By Melissa, age 7

Brought to you via A Poem a Day

A Poem a Day is part of the organization called Writers in the Schools (WITS). WITS is a non-profit organization that encourages, and engages children in the pleasure and power of reading and writing. WITS writers work in year-long programs in over 350 classrooms in order to help students develop their creative and analytical thinking skills, which are so important in today’s competitive and complex world.

This topic is near and dear to my heart as I used to teach 5^th grade students and am passionate about all things education. I lend my total and wholehearted support for any group that’s helping kids to read and write more often.

WITS’s focus is on inner city kids, but they also offer workshops at art museums, hospitals, community centers, and juvenile detention centers, just to name a few. If you’d like more information on their work, or even purchase one of their books, please feel free to click here.

I was excited to find out that California does have a link to this project, California Poets in the Schools; however, I was disappointed that the Los Angeles County Public Schools does not have a website to feature their students’ work. If you know of such a link, please let me know as I’d love to feature poems by local youth poets here.

I love reading and writing, and am a firm believer that a love of reading starts and home, but continues in the classroom. Does any of your local schools offer and participate in any program like this?

As time goes, I look forward to featuring more such K-12 writings, and I’d love to feature one from your Travelin’ Local schools.

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