ABPA - Australian Bush Poets Association

A little blurb on the juniors here in Winton ...

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-09-12/q ... on/5738934

I hope you didn't tell any of the little darlings " your rhythm's out and your rhyming sucks " ( like you said about mine )

Toughen up Neville

The CEO of the Winton Shire Council Tom Upton is married to my niece Manfred let me know next time you go and I'll drop him a line.

Do you get to present any of your poetry to the kids ?

Bob

Neville Briggs wrote:I hope you didn't tell any of the little darlings " your rhythm's out and your rhyming sucks " ( like you said about mine )

The beauty of working with kids is that they're Teachable Nev ....
(And your rhyming still sucks ... )

I will Bob, and no, I didn't ...

Bob has a niece called Manfred ????

Discussion of junior poetry reminds me that recently I have seen a pile of poems done by school children. It is obvious that they have been taught how to do elementary verse lines and rhyming. Their rhyming was spot on. What was also apparent is that their teachers had not taught them to bring out their natural curiosity, wonder and imagination.
I was disappointed that they had learnt how to do the icing but not how to make the cake.

I'm sure kids are teachable, the critical thing is what they are taught.



p.s. I'm not suggesting this about Winton, I don't know what was done there.

Can you teach "natural" wonder, curiosity and imagination Neville?

I wouldn't think that anyone could teach natural wonder, curiosity and imagination, but I hold on to the belief that it should be possible to teach children
how to draw on these things for expression in poetry.

Neville Briggs wrote:I wouldn't think that anyone could teach natural wonder, curiosity and imagination, but I hold on to the belief that it should be possible to teach children
how to draw on these things for expression in poetry.

Oh Nevvie, kids can do so much creatively with so little, and they work (creatively) within incredible constraints ... As adults, Where (or when) does OUR natural wonder, curiosity and imagination go I wonder ???

Have you no, natural wonder, curiosity and imagination left Nev? ....