Here at VCP we are avid advocates for reading and writing, and whilst it is not always easy to get into schools these days due to new strict rules, we were delighted to find out that our resident Poet Ted had been invited.
Allowing authors of any description into schools we believe serves a great purpose for the children, in so much as firstly they get to see the creative process and love of words first hand from someone who does it full time, but secondly and possibly more importantly, the younger generations get to talk openly with a person who looks at life and life experiences in order to use it in their creative endeavour. Having that ability to interact with a writer or poet can be an eye opening experience for the young, and also provides some vital insight into the writing industry as a whole. At VCP we have always seen ourselves as the holders of the baton, which one day will be passed on to take the writers baton into the future, therefore keeping the industry alive and vibrant with new upcoming talent. We hope that the inspiration given by Ted will encourage new future talent to work towards joining this industry.
We asked Ted for a few lines about his day in school, and below is his take on the days events.
A Poets school experience.
With some trepidation I accepted an invitation to talk about my Remembrance poems to some year five and six pupils at a school. They were having a week studying the concept of Remembrance and the significance of the poppy in the celebration of these events. I started off each of my sessions with a poem about their invitation ,which I had written especially for them and their class.
I was booked to go into 4 classes, with half an hour allocated to each class. As I walked into the first class I was amazed to see my poems “Poppies” and “Remembrance” projected onto the classroom wall.
They had been using the text to highlight words that I had used, which were not in common use, and also for them to find out what words they did not understand. They were encouraged by their teacher to use their dictionary’s in the first instance. Unfortunately, some of the words were not listed, so it developed into a question and answer session, at which I gave my explanation of why I had used such words.
This was a very positive session and highlighted the fact that in verse you can express yourself in a succinct manner without the need for long descriptive passages. The teacher then told the pupils that they must try and write a haiku poem (5 then 7 then 5 syllables) using my poem Poppies as the basis of their composition. This was a very interesting concept which some of the pupils worked hard at. I will go back to this class in a couple of days to see what they accomplished.
My next class had concentrated on my Remembrance poems, but it was mainly a question and answer session, ranging from when I started to write to what it was like to be Famous! and a discussion about war and its effects. I then read at their request some poems which were not connected with war, as I was asked did I only write war poems. More questions followed but time ran out as I had to go to another class. I did promise I would go back and talk to them in another couple of days.
My last class was a similar age to the previous class and again we went through the poppy’s poems. with a lively question and answer session, again on multiple topics such as why do I write verse, how do I write verse, and again explanations of the words I use which they had not heard of. Again I was asked if I wrote other types of verse, I explained about writing verse to express emotion, and finished off the session with a couple of comic poems which they enjoyed. I have encouraged them to try and write a poem which I will read when I return in a couple of days’ time.
Well done Ted, and thanks for sharing this small part of your week with us. Not only is it important to show children the writing world, it is also equally as Important to show them the importance of remembrance. Let’s hope one of those children one day finds their way into print and keeps the legacy of poetry going.
Ted Morgan has publish three books of poetry. Wordsmith Wanderings ISBN 978-1-910299-09-8, Peregrinations of the Wordsmith ISBN978-1-910299-18-0 , Silhouette Soldiers ISBN978-1-910299-22-7. Published via Violet Circle Publishing. All of his books are available from Amazon and other online book retailers
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