Homeschool: The Parenting Power of Poetry

Once upon a time, poetry memorization was a standard educational tool in schools.  It was well known that memorizing poetry increased vocabulary, spelling, grammer, syntax, expression, fluency and a general appreciation of the beauty of language.  When I was in fourth grade, we memorized Lewis Carroll's The Jabberwocky at school and put on a play.  While I don't remember the poem in it's entirety,  snippets of it's twisted phrases and quirky vocabulary come back to me from time to time and find their way out of my mouth or into my writing. 

To be honest, when I decided to add memorization to our homeschool schedule, I had none of the above benefits in mind, though I am glad to know we're enhancing our Language Arts skills as a byproduct. ;)  At first, I intended for us to memorize scripture verses, The Articles of Faith, and The Living Christ.  But after this, we just naturally moved into poetry as well.  The Book of Virtues includes a number of classic poems which I've read, but forgotten over the years, and plenty more that I'd never heard.  So many of them teach virtues and character traits that I want my children to internalize.  I realize that the best thing I can do for them is to be a living example, but beyond that,  teaching these principles only goes so far with a story or my own repetitve admonitions.

While we were reading morning after morning, I started to realize that I had a parenting partner in the poems we came across; an honest to gosh advocate in my character-building cause.  There's just something about enrobing truth in a clever phrase or a rhymed verse that gives it potential to imprint itself deeply on the mind and ultimately in the heart.  I figured that kind of impression would logically be magnified if the words were committed to memory.  So we began memorizing a few.

We have a chalkboard in our dining room where we write the poems so that they're always visible.  In fact, over Christmas break, Luke was sick on the couch for a couple of days and memorized the one we had up at the time.  I didn't realize it until a couple of weeks ago when he recited the entire poem to me from memory.  He had been in school while the girls and I were memorizing it, so I was completely surprised.  He then explained that while he was sick, his head was at just the right angle so that he could see the chalkboard the entire time.  For him, it was impossible not to memorize it!  Too funny.

The following poem was the first one we memorized.  Short and sweet and powerful.  We'd had some issues with over-the-top goofing off during laundry party, and I also have one child who consistently shirks work and can't finish a job.  I chose this poem with both situations in mind.  Interestingly, that child really took to this poem and had it memorized before anyone else.  I jumped on that, and every time we began family work projects, I started chanting the poem.  That child kept on working every time with a smile, and still does whenever I spout off the words.

Miraculous.

Work While You Work

-McGuffey's Primer

 

Work while you work,

Play while you play,

One thing each time,

That is the way.

 

All that you do

Do with your might.

Things done by halves

Are not done right

Try Try Again is another short, sweet one, though the entire poem isn't as well known as the classic third and fourth line.  Who doesn't need to memorize this one?  It was fun to introduce it to my kids, who had somehow never heard the saying, "If at first you don't succeed..."   We memorized it while Miri was working on her front and side splits and a back walkover for gymnastics.   Every time she started to get down about being able to do it, we recited the poem to her.  I'm happy to report that she quickly achieved all of her tumbling goals. ;)

Try Try Again

by T.H. Palmer

 

Tis a lesson you should heed,

Try try again.

If at first you don't succeed,

Try try again.

 

Then your courage should appear,

For if you will persevere,

You will conquer never fear,

Try, try again.

We've had enough poor sports in our house over the years, that I knew the next one was a must for our agenda.  Sure enough, shortly after memorizing it, the older kids were playing a 3 day Monopoly game and Abby bit the dust in a big way.  She was pouting her way out of the game, nearly in tears, when I began reciting the poem from across the room.  You should've seen the way it stunned her into stoic submission .  And I'm pretty sure I saw a smile begin forming at the corners of her mouth.

Author unknown

 

Let others cheer the winning man,

There's one I hold worthwhile.

'Tis he who does the best he can,

Then loses with a smile.

 

Beaten is he, but not to stay

Down with the rank and file.

That man will win some other day,

Who loses with a smile.

 

 

I love the following poem.  Miri picked it out one day to read and it put a dreamy smile on all of our faces and made us want to flit our way outside and twirl around in the wind and leaves.  So, of course we had to memorize it!  Because sometimes it really is just best to abandon everything and take the rainbow's hand, don't you think?

 

 

I Meant To Do My Work Today

by Richard LeGallienne

I meant to do my work today,
But a brown bird sang in the apple tree,
And a butterfly flitted across the field,
And all the leaves were calling me.
And the wind went sighing over the land,
Tossing the grasses to and fro,
And a rainbow held out its shining hand,
So what could I do but laugh and go?

Next is the poem we're currently working on. I've read it a few times in my life and always come away inspired and convicted to be a better person. I wasn't sure if my kids were old enough to understand it, so I figured we'd get to it sometime down the road. However, both Luke and Abby have chosen to read it during morning devotional in the past month, so I figured it was a sign. We're on the second stanza.

If

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too:
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;

If you can dream---and not make dreams your master;
If you can think---and not make thoughts your aim,
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same:.
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build'em up with worn-out tools;

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings,
And never breathe a word about your loss:
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on!"

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with Kings---nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much:
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And---which is more---you'll be a Man, my son!

Rudyard Kipling

 

The following poem is the next one in our queue.  And I'm scheming about a new motivational system at our house to go right along with it... 

 

How To Be Happy

 

 

Are you almost disgusted with life, little man?
I'll tell you a wonderful trick
That will bring you contentment, if anything can,
Do something for somebody, quick!
Are you awfully tired with play, little girl?
Wearied, discouraged, and sick
I'll tell you the loveliest game in the world,
Do something for somebody, quick!
Though it rains, like the rain of the flood, little man,
And the clouds are forbidding and thick,
You can make the sun shine on your soul, little man,
Do something for somebody, quick!
Though the stars are like brass overhead, little girl,
And the walks like a well-heated brick,
And our earthy affairs in a terrible whirl,

Do something for somebody, quick!

Powerful powerful poetry. My new secret weapon. If all goes as planned, these poems will not only help shape their minds for the present, but will be a source of inspiration they can draw from for the rest of their lives.  Wouldn't that be grand?!  Do you think it'll work?