Shop by Topic
Shop by Product
ExchangeEveryDay Past Issues
<< Previous Issue
| View Past Issues | | Next Issue >> 
"Your Story Is Always Going to Be Important"
October 28, 2022
To be accountable we must render an account:
Not what was said, but what was meant.
Not the fact, but what was felt.
What was known, even while unnamed.
-Amanda Gorman, 2020 National Youth Poet Laureate
-Amanda Gorman, 2020 National Youth Poet Laureate
“Poetry has always been a part of my life,” says 2021 National Youth Poet Laureate Alexandra Hu?nh, “One of the earliest memories I have of writing poetry is actually when I wrote songs, when I was around 7. At the time, I was taking singing lessons and the songs I was singing about didn’t reflect my own lived experiences as a 7-year-old, so I wanted to write a song that felt more true to me. They weren’t necessarily the most impressive thing, but I think that was a great step forward in the sense that I really was able to take my own experiences and write them into existence.”
She concludes, “It’s really important for me to advocate for spaces for youth where they can learn how to articulate their lived experiences and feel very safe in doing so. There’s no shortage in the amount of genius that is in our young people, just a shortage of spaces for them to speak out their truth. And I stand by that.”
(The title above is also a quote from Hu?nh).
ExchangeEveryDay
Delivered five days a week containing news, success stories, solutions, trend reports, and much more.
What is ExchangeEveryDay?
ExchangeEveryDay is the official electronic newsletter for Exchange Press. It is delivered five days a week containing news stories, success stories, solutions, trend reports, and much more.
Comments (1)
Displaying 1 CommentUniversity of Phoenix/ Red Rocks Community College
Denver, Colorado, United States
Yes, it is critical that we enable all of our students to empress their unique experiences and feelings in safe places. But we also need to remember our heritage - which somehow is being totally ignored - and even cancelled - by our field. John Dewey, over 100 years ago, expressed how EVERY student should be exposed to the arts in schools, not just potential artists, and he insisted that program content and activities be based on each child's unique experiences (what he called meaningful learning). This is NOT a new idea! (Note Dewey was writing when there was a huge influx of immigrants to this country - many of whom were considered 'uncivilized'). Further, we must insist that EVERY child in our programs is encouraged to explore the arts and their own unique experiences. In today's climate, many young children are denied this critical opportunity due to an extreme focus on academic skill instruction and denying children with developmental delays exposure to the arts. The arts are for EVERY CHILD. Period!
Post a Comment