Empowering Girls Through Poetry

This week, the girls and I returned to poetry for a respite. We are still revising our fantasy stories, but needed a little spark of energy.  Since the school where I teach is a school for girls, in fact it is the oldest girls’ school in New Jersey, I am keenly aware of the need for raising confident and resilient girls.   Our school’s motto is: With Wisdom, she lights the way. And our core mission is expressed in this simple tagline: Empower Girls.  Advance the World.  

Over the years, I’ve become increasingly aware of the need to help girls foster a sense of confidence and determination. Generally, girls tend to be people-pleasers, following the rules and going along obediently.  Although we want the girls to be thoughtful and polite, we also want them to be questioning and bold, ready to take on problems and solve them.

With the assistance of AI, I created this image of a strong girl.  I thought it would encourage my summer students to think about girl power and all the wonderful things girls can accomplish.  Before writing, we talked about the collaged image, and Maddie and Violet brainstormed words that described the girl in the collage: bold, brave, free, wild, happy, spirited, sassy, fast, and fearless.

As I composed my poem, I was very intentional about keeping it very simple and direct.  I tried to take on the persona of the girl in the collage, showing that I was fearless and was ready to take on the world.  I wanted an almost staccato rhythm that would mirror the playfulness of the girl in bright yellow.

Maddie’s poem described the collage in detail.  She becomes the girl in the picture, showing her energy and fearlessness.  Maddie said the picture reminded her of the story of the Gingerbread Man, and she kept thinking about the phrase: Run, run as fast as you can, you can’t catch me, I’m the Gingerbread Man!  She wanted her poem to feel like it was running – but not running away.  She is running towards the future, and she’s going to win the race.  

Violet changed the title of her poem, which I always allow the student to do.  She connected directly to the collage of the girl and thought about how the girl was both similar and different from her.  Her poem starts with showing how she’s different from the girl – not so bold – often shy.  But then transitions to the desire to become more confident and stepping out of the shadow and being more vocal, especially in class.

Teacher Reflection

I wasn’t sure if this image was going to resonate with the girls. But since this is a summer project, I felt more free to experiment.  The discussion about the qualities girls possess was very interesting to me.  Maddie is an extrovert and has a lot to say.  She lets nothing get in her way. She is an avid surfer and is on a boys’ travel soccer team.  This boldness and sense of adventure run through every part of her poem. I think students must have the opportunity to express themselves and reveal their thinking. It was striking that Violet did a brave thing and changed the title of her poem, which reveals her personality.  She is very shy and rarely speaks in class. I knew from her writings that she had a lot to say, but she is not yet comfortable being up front and vocal.  However, her poem shows that she is ready to add her voice. I love her image of a “tiny spark” lighting the classroom.  I think it’s been a good decision to stop every so often this summer and give the students time to write poetry.  They need that combination of longer prose and shorter poetic pieces.  I need it too.  These poetry respites have helped build stamina.