the thinkers

I recently shared some of my favorite pieces of poetry with my Junior High School English class. Some of the poems I shared are written by the esteemed children’s poet, Shel Silverstein, someone who not only includes great voice but eccentric character in everything he writes.

From the beginning of my teaching experience in Ghana, I realized that one consistent dilemma was evident in ALL of my classes. The problem I discovered, in like the first five minutes of teaching, was that not one student was learning how to think, interpret, or respond on his own accord. With every question I posed, my students answers came not only directly from the textbook, but in direct quotes too! I remember thinking,

“Wow, I have my work cut out for me!”

Not only was I blessed with the task of teaching the impeccable yet unpredictable English language, but I also had to undo a learning method that is evidently a cultural norm from the past “only God knows how long” years.

“Whoa, am I even equipped to handle such a monstrous task? My answer was immediate, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!”

“My goodness, if I can leave behind Diet Coke, blonde highlights, and brewed coffee surly I can teach some children how to think independently! I mean who knows more about being an independent thinker than a stubborn, only child raised in New York. If I can milk a cow, I can do this!”

So with all that backstory I can now share the true meaning of this journal entry...

the thinkers...

After reading several pieces of poetry and discussing that poetry is subjective and art, therefore there is no right or wrong answer here, I shared the poem “No Difference” written by Shel Silverstein. I read the poem aloud to my 6th grade class using as much inflection and emotion in my voice as teacherly possible, then I gave a homework assignment that included writing a journal response to the poem. The prompt was... What does this poem mean to you?

No Difference...

Small as a peanut,

Big as a giant,

We’re all the same size when we turn off the light.

Rich as a sultan,

Poor as a mite,

We’re all worth the same when we turn out the light.

Red, black orange,

Yellow or white,

We all look the same when we turn out the light.

So maybe the way

To make everything right

Is for God to reach out and turn off the light!

Shel Silverstein

excerpt taken from Where the Sidewalk Ends HarperCollins Publishers 1974

Here are some of their responses...

...if God makes something, He sees it as useful...Fadila

..God created you and you are all created out of dust or soil, and whether you are black, brown, or white, when you die you all turned into soil again. So why do we say we are all different from each other. I see no difference among us, we are all human begins...Ayisha

...Mankind has two hands, two legs, two ears, and two eyes but only one life...Ayisha

...If you are from Ghana or Togo you are one people, there is no difference in God’s creation...Williams

...It is God’s plan to make us big or small...It is His plan to make us different...Olive Jane

...We are all one blood...Godsway

...Even if you are poor or rich you will all sleep in the ground... A poor man might enter paradise and to a rich man God might ask, “What are you doing with the wealth”...Zakwan

...If the light is off we can take a torch to cast our shadows. Our shadows will appear different one from another, but if we turn the torch off our shadows will be gone, and we will not know whose shadow was different from the others. Whose was taller, whose was bigger. We become equal...Severin

When they shared their words with me, my heart smiled! God, You can do all things! Now grant me the endurance to nurture these young minds as they grow and a relinquishing spirit that can unleash them back to their motherland.

The future of Ghana is near, and I want my students to be that future!