Work by Thea, Grade 6
Reflection
First, I must give a massive shoutout to Dr. Krumrie. Without her 20th Century British Literature course in the Fall of 2022, I never would have rediscovered my passion for the English discipline. I’m graduating from my undergraduate career with a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism Studies, but I never felt like it was something I loved, but rather something I could do. That first course I took with her reminded me why I was “the English kid” in high school. The kind of thinking and writing that happens in English classrooms is what truly piques my interest, and I never would have remembered that if Dr. Krumrie wasn’t such a wonderful professor and person. It is also thanks to her that the Writers in the Schools program was revived at the University of Denver. This program allowed me to spend time creating lesson plans, reading about pedagogical practices, and practice teaching. It’s possible that without this experience, I might never have decided to pursue teaching at a higher level.
This spring, Hayley, Lydia, and I were given the opportunity to continue our work from the WITS class in a more official capacity. Thanks to DU Grand Challenges and the Center for Community Engagement to advance Scholarship and Learning, we were able to continue our work at the Ricks Center and create our own Poetry Archive for the English Department. I truly believe in the power of creative writing, so I am forever thankful to CCESL for giving us this opportunity.
I was lucky enough to work with the wonderful 6th grade class, and their teacher, Ms. Liz, to talk about poetry with them. Honestly, I’m still in awe of how intelligent the kids were, and how willing they were to engage with me. Without their enthusiasm I never could have done the work I did, so I am forever thankful to them as well. Even those students who had a tougher time writing ended up opening themselves up to the experience, and were able to create such wonderful pieces of art.
Working on this entire project with Hayley and Lydia was an experience I will never forget. From planning, teaching, and now creating the final product has been a stressful journey. However, without it I never would have found that this is what I was meant to do. So, I am forever thankful to my teammates as well.
Thank you,
Mario Melo
This spring, Hayley, Lydia, and I were given the opportunity to continue our work from the WITS class in a more official capacity. Thanks to DU Grand Challenges and the Center for Community Engagement to advance Scholarship and Learning, we were able to continue our work at the Ricks Center and create our own Poetry Archive for the English Department. I truly believe in the power of creative writing, so I am forever thankful to CCESL for giving us this opportunity.
I was lucky enough to work with the wonderful 6th grade class, and their teacher, Ms. Liz, to talk about poetry with them. Honestly, I’m still in awe of how intelligent the kids were, and how willing they were to engage with me. Without their enthusiasm I never could have done the work I did, so I am forever thankful to them as well. Even those students who had a tougher time writing ended up opening themselves up to the experience, and were able to create such wonderful pieces of art.
Working on this entire project with Hayley and Lydia was an experience I will never forget. From planning, teaching, and now creating the final product has been a stressful journey. However, without it I never would have found that this is what I was meant to do. So, I am forever thankful to my teammates as well.
Thank you,
Mario Melo