The Spectrum earth and space science teacher, Ms. Nicole Kreuger, is not only a fan of what she teaches, but she is also passionate about poetry. During her college and university years she was a part of a poetry club that conducted a multitude of prose related activities. She would write her own poems, in a variety of styles, and then share them with her peers and fellow club mates. At times the group would be allowed to critique her art, and give her helpful suggestions on how to improve her work. At others the meetings would simply be held to praise the poetry that the members had written.
Ms. Kreuger expressed sorrow for not being in the position to continue attending these club meetings. Unfortunately, due to her status as a teacher, she is unable to make time for these meetings. Despite this, she still writes her poetry and fiction. Her poetry is written in a variety of different styles, and covers a vast range of topics. Her favorite subjects to write about are, to name a few, science fiction, fantasy, or anything that can tell a story.
She likes to include symbolism from both mythology, but also from Christianity. Ms. Kreuger, in a poem she wrote about her favorite mineral, said, “Birefringence, which has to do with how crystals appear when you have them under a microscope in a thin section and it kind of captures some important religious symbols as well, so i kind of connect that, I connect the symbolic and the metaphorical with the literal scientific world”
She has thought about the possibility of bringing her poetic writings into the classroom setting to share with her students, even going so far as to start her own poetry club here at Spectrum. Similar to before, however, her duties as a teacher prevent her from conducting such meetings. This is her first year teaching here at Spectrum, and she hopes once she can finalize her curriculum and have a more solid lesson plan, she’ll be able to organize a club for poetry.
When asked if she would like to share her poetry with her classes, she stated that “where i am right now, this is my first year of teaching, and i need to focus on being as good of a teacher as i can be, and so i don’t think i would be in a position where i would have the time or the brain space as of yet”. However, she had never found a lesson or a time where sharing her already available work would make sense in the classroom setting.
As a closing statement, she left a final statement to those who think that poetry and prose is a bore, and not something worth our precious attention. She dived into a lengthy and meaningful lecture on the connection between poetry and the very fabric of reality, stating that everything is in some form poetry. She used the example of a metaphor and math. In math, we solve for x, and thus, we make x a metaphor for some quantity.
She wanted the students to know that poetry does not have to be about some grand feeling or whimsical idea. Poetry can be about a car driving down a road, or a leaf falling to the ground. There doesn’t have to be a greater message behind everything. If there is a story that one would like to tell through poetry, then they can do it. The real art is the poem itself, and the thought that was put into it, not the greater messages, or the hazy, vague hints at the large ideas behind even larger words.