New Options for Students’ Recitations
Written by Sabrina Monteiro and Gabriel Matnog
Contributions from Sydney Stumpf
For more context, here are some links to prior Poetry Out Loud Coverage:
Last year was the first year teachers were obligated to give students the option of reciting their poem for Poetry Out Loud in class, after school, or making a video or song. Based on a survey from the English Department, teacher leader Robin Doherty provided the following results from last year’s participation: 67% of students last year performed their poem the traditional way, standing in front of the class, and 28% chose some alternative way to present their poem. This year students only had three options which did not include a song but there is no information about this year’s division between options.
English teacher Miranda Libkin loves Poetry Out Loud and says that the POL Finals were “amazing” and thinks “potentially, most of the people who recited [could have] won.”
Libkin mentioned that she has mixed feelings about giving students the option to recite in front of the class or after school. She stated that “on one hand, [she] thinks [it is] good to give students a choice because [teachers] want students to feel successful, but [she thinks] teenagers have a hard time doing something that their friends [are not] doing and for everyone, [it is] hard to stand in front of a class and recite a poem.” Because students now have the option of whether or not to present in class, they could be peer pressured into choosing one option instead of another due to what their friends choose. Because of this, Libkin thinks “[it is] almost like [teachers] made it twice as hard because when everybody has to recite in class, at least [every student is] doing it.”
English teacher Jennifer Clapp thinks that in regards to Poetry Out Loud, “[it is] very important that every student try to do it in front of the class because [presenting in front of an audience] is a life skill.”
Clapp also mentioned that “sometimes students will opt out of something, not because it makes them really uncomfortable but because they [do not] feel like doing it. Those are two different things.”
English teacher Yahaira Marquez said she thinks POL is important as a school because “[it is] the one assessment that [MHS does] for ninth through twelfth grade. You have students from all grades kind of working together and supporting each other and [it is] the only assessment that [MHS has] like that.”
Marquez also said that she knows “some students may not love [Poetry Out Loud], but [it is] important to see that [everybody is] working on the same thing together and [this can] help progress and build confidence together as a community.” She added that “as teachers, [they] know their students and know what [they are] really capable of and if they are struggling students, as [teachers] would do with any other assessment, [they] would modify as needed without necessarily changing the assessment completely.”
If students feel nervous about reciting, Marquez gives support to “give it a shot” and not overthink it. She believes that “the recitation [should not] be what keeps [students] from trying to understand the poem and present it.”
Math teacher Thomas Snarsky said that even as a teacher, he gets nervous to recite his poem in a crowd. He thinks giving students options “is nice [for students] who [do not] want to have to be put up in front of everybody and having a different way of showing you know a poem. It makes a lot more sense than forcing someone to do something [they are] not comfortable with.”
Sophomore, Tatsumiya Cazimir recited her poem after school and was relieved because of it. She mentioned how some students get “intimidated and some people are shy so the option of going after school was great.” Cazimir said that last year, she said that “[she] was able to do it but [she] had more difficulty of memorizing everything.”
Cazimir said that even though she performed last year, she did not gain any confidence because she does not like “talking in front of people. [It is] something [that is] never going to stick [with her]. [She] likes talking to her friends but [not] other people.” She thinks having public speaking skills is important if you have a career that involves needing that skill but is something she personally “[does not] think [she] needs.”
English department Teacher Leader Robin Doherty mentioned that “[we] have to give options, but [she] is not sure if [she] liked the idea of options for this year”. Doherty believes that the English department has to find different solutions for options.
She also stated that having kids do it after class or make a video does not really allow [a] class to be in it together. Doherty stated, “It is definitely important to foster presentation skills, but having a student memorize the poem is not the best approach to improve public speaking…all MHS ELA teachers are teaching the Massachusetts State Curriculum Frameworks, which require teachers to have students work on giving presentations. While [she] don’t have a formal list of these opportunities, [she’s] sure students are presenting in classes”.
Freshman Christopher Josefowitch also recited his poem in class because he “Personally likes to speak in class”. Josefowitch thinks the options are a good idea but really the only way to get better at speaking in front of a group of people is through performing in class.
Besides participating traditionally in Poetry Out Loud, teachers of all subject areas are sure to incorporate public speaking into their classrooms. Doherty notes that daily participation as well as student-run discussions are some of ways in which students speak in front of, and to, others. In many English classes, presentations, both group and individual, are created and presented in front of the class. Humanities Director Abbey Dick says that all “MHS ELA teachers are teaching the Massachusetts State Curriculum Frameworks, which require teachers to have students work on giving presentations.” Although options are given in POL recitation, they may not be in other presentations.
So, Malden community, what are your thoughts? Share your feedback in the comment section of this article.
