Quotes from participants in Poetry Out Loud 2007

Comments from Teachers

"This was easily one of the greatest experiences of my teaching career. Overall, we had approximately 850 (out of 1000) students memorize a poem, from all levels, grades and abilities. Our school semi-finals included several ESL students, athletes, actors, honor-roll students and students who struggle with their English grades. In the week leading up to the first round of the competition, students were reciting their poems in the halls, in science classes, at their after-school jobs, and to their parents at home. The students were proud of their work. They were eager to share with each other.... It was the level of intellectual confidence and enthusiasm that we as teachers usually only fantasize about. I cannot praise this project highly enough. I, as well as many of the students look forward to next year's competition."

"I don't usually like to think of poetry as something that encourages students to 'compete.' My misgivings about being involved in POL were that I hated the thought that there would be more "losers" (in terms of prizes) than winners. I didn't want that to be a turn-off for the students. Instead I saw a camaraderie and enthusiasm for the individual 'style' and effort that each finalist brought to the stage. They were very encouraging and supportive of each other. A sense of 'teamwork' and friendship came out of the coaching sessions [and] that was wonderful to witness."

"...students still talk about the program much later, and a poem would come up in class that someone has recited—the students immediately had a connection with that poem, remembering it from the competition."

"When Matthew, an autistic student, recited his poem in front of the entire class—wow, that is the thing that keeps a teacher teaching."

"Participating in the contest and seeing my student grow in confidence has been one of the best experiences of my teaching career. While I could insist that my students recite poetry without the contest, being a part of it and realizing that they're participating in something that is beyond the classroom has been a tremendous motivation for them. My students are generally thought of, and see themselves, as academic outcasts. Being a part of Poetry Out loud has countered that perception."


Comments from Students

"When you memorize a poem, it seeps into your subconscious in your daily waking life, and in that way becomes a part of, you."

"Sometimes when you read poetry, you don't catch or pick up on everything that first time. However, when you memorize and then recite it, it forces you to find out the author's intentions when he wrote it and it gives you the opportunity to discover new things in it."

"I didn't think I'd enjoy the poetry recitation, especially when I had trouble at first finding a poem that I really responded to. But then I found Louise Bogan's 'Song for the Last Act.' Now I really understand what you said about the value of having someone else's words in your head. I find myself reciting my poem in my car when I'm driving as often as singing along to music. Somehow it's just really comforting. Now I want to learn more poems so I will have more of these voices to keep me company."


Comments from School Coordinators

"Our student body has completely embraced the entire notion of Poetry Out Loud and it has become a 'staple' of our year. All of our teachers encourage it and the students take it very seriously. During our All-School Poetry Out Loud Competition, one would have thought rock stars had just entered the building when our classroom winners took the stage and recited their poems. Sincere enthusiasm! Next year it will become more of a school tradition, as students know more about it, and the students hear more about it."



Quotes from teachers and students who participated in Poetry Out Loud 2006

Responses to the program in general:

"I was so impressed with the eagerness of the students that wanted to participate that I hope that it will come back to us again."

"I loved this contest! It was a very worthwhile experience for my students; I saw a different side to many of them."

"Thanks for bringing it alive, reminding me our state is a great place to be educationally."

"This is an excellent program, which I hope continues for many years to come."

"Our biggest—and best—surprise was the degree of success experienced by students who tend not to be successful in English. I've always know that students need multiple ways to demonstrate their understanding of literature, but this contest showed me for the first time how important it is. It was impossible to do well in the recitation without having a good understanding of the poetry. While some students may not have been able to write an essay that clearly explained their understanding, they were able to show it through performance. It was a great confidence and esteem booster for students most in need of both."

Did Poetry Out Loud change the way you feel about poetry, or read poetry—if so what has changed?:

"I entered because I am a competitive speaker. Next year I will enter, because I love poetry."

"Prior to Poetry Out Loud, I had never recited poetry and now I can walk away with the knowledge of how to understand the language of the poem and its implications and how to accentuate the poet's decisions through recitation."

"I think more about it. I read more poetry. It's made me write more poetry as well. For a period in my life I was a bit apathetic, but I presently love poetry again."

"Yes, I am now even more interested in poetry, I want to read more, write more and get more involved in the poetry community."

"It became more REAL for me. I can grasp the emotions now and I appreciate the poets even more."

"Although my school does require students to memorize and recite poems during national poetry month, I had forgotten how enjoyable poetry could be. I think Poetry Out Loud helped take the poems I knew as words on paper, and make them living, breathing art, thus becoming much more effective and powerful."

"I have always loved poetry, but never really thought about recitation. Poetry Out Loud showed me a way of sharing my love of poetry with others through performance. Two of my greatest loves are acting and poetry. Poetry Out Loud allows me to combine those two. It was truly a spectacular opportunity."

"My ability to take the time and read a poem, not just read it once and go about my way, but to actually dissect the poem and try to understand the poets' thoughts, emotions, and meanings."

"I have always loved poetry, but I enjoy listening to recitation much more now."

"It has humbled me in a way to be involved with the poems I read. Instead of worrying if I can understand all the words or if it rhymes, I focus on content with which it describes. Poetry is so wonderful and so mysterious that I wish more people would appreciate it."

For you, what was the greatest benefit to participating in Poetry Out Loud?

"I loved meeting all the artsy people from the other states. I've only traveled with sports teams before, and the people at poetry out loud were definitely not like athletes. It is so exciting to see kids my age passionate about poetry and passionate about using it as a medium to change the world."

"I was able to see so many young people from the entire nation that had an appreciation for the arts. I was so surprised to see the amount of time and money invested into young people and poetry from these programs. It really inspired me."

"This was a great self esteem builder. The entire experience was one that I will carry with me for the rest of my life."

"Exposure to such great work. I also made a friend out of this experience, whom I hope to stay in contact with for awhile. I hope my Experience with Poetry Out Loud didn't end because I was a senior, and hope to be able to take an active role in it in years to come."

"Through Poetry Out Loud I gained a better knowledge of the poetry community. In this process I also discovered a love for reciting poetry that will stay with me throughout my life. I am so thankful for this opportunity."

"This contest opened so many doors for me. I'm a different person than I was at the beginning of this year. Once, I couldn't stand in front of a classroom of my peers without my knees buckling, my face turning red, my whole body shaking, and having evil butterflies in my stomach for the next half hour. I had always wanted to join drama and perform but even when my teachers asked me to read my work at poetry nights, I had to refuse because I knew my nerves would end up getting the better of me. I dreaded performing "to the Desert" for my class, but the first time I actually got up there and did it, I was a lot calmer than I had ever been in front of an audience, and every time after that it just got easier. I don't know why this happened but it did and I'm so glad for it. I've competed in another poetry competition since then, I've performed at three school poetry readings, and plan on joining drama next fall."

"The energy and passion of everyone involved and watching touched me very much. Meeting and bonding with the other competitors was a lot of fun."

"The entire experience of being in a national contest was the greatest benefit."

"I think the contestants were the greatest part of it all. Seeing the devotion and liveliness in their presentations was so inspiring. Words cannot explain how amazing this whole experience was for me."

Quotes from teachers who participated in Poetry Out Loud 2005

"One of the greatest benefits is that the poem becomes part of you for the rest of your life."

"It's nice [to take] poetry and literature off the page into another realm where you're hearing it and seeing it and not just reading it."

"A celebration of skill and talent that tends not to receive such close attention throughout the year."

"[Poetry Out Loud] gave a wonderful focus on something that's overlooked in our curriculum, and thank you. A lot of fun. A good bit of work, but worth it in end. We had a great time."

"I do not have the most enthusiastic advanced classes this year. But I was shocked. I would say 99% of them had it at the memory check which was a good 4-5 days before they had to have it. Some of them had already started coming to me asking questions, and I heard them even in the hallways. I heard a lot of [another teacher's] kids in the hallways reciting for each other. And they were really supportive of each other during the performance. And I was happy to see that because I have a lot of negativity in those classes. They were clapping for each other, and not sarcastically but genuinely, so it really sold me. I think when teaching poetry in the future, I fully intend to add some sort of recitation component whether it's for a contest or not. "

"Huge effect. I was not sold on the memorization at all. I remember my experience as a student. I was in a military school where you had to have all kinds of facts and you had to have the chain of command and it was torture for me, and I associated that kind of impersonal memorization with all memorization. So this experience was awesome. The kids really connected with it."

"Really great for me. A wonderful experience. Really had fun. "

"I had such a good experience with it. I think the materials are good and I like the set up of whole program, the contest. I would definitely use it again."

"Well structured and organized, the fact that they had materials and teacher's book. It had rubric, had suggested timelines, suggestions for memorization, even had pictures of poets. Nice job. Teachers are so busy, and they made it doable. If they hadn't done those things, it wouldn't have been doable."

"I was shocked. In my 4th period class, [there was] this kid who had had really poor grades, he's a jock, and now we're all joking that he's the poet. He was awesome."

"I took one of my classes to the school final, and they still talk about that, because they were seeing kids they didn't know, types of kids they weren't familiar with, types of kids they were surprised to see on stage. I think that poetry as a performance art was a surprising experience for all of us."

"Some of the classroom finalists were such polar opposites. They came from totally different groups. That was neat for the kids to see. It wasn't just the quiet kid who always gets an A who won.... We had a lot of students on stage who represented the nonacademic side of [school]. Kids who you don't always see winning awards and contests and competitions. Some cool guys were up there who wouldn't normally do that kind of thing, and I was very pleased with that. "

"I want to speak to power of recitation. The impact, which I think was desired was achieved, in that it did make poetry part of their lives for a short while, and particularly the recitation part will stay with them. It will be part of them."