Project Zero Classroom 2009 Inspired Poem

Following is a poem fashioned after Henry Reed's Poem "Naming of Parts", which was completed (07/31/09) part of PZC Group D Mini-Project that was presented on 08/01/09.

Soaking up the Arts

by Taoufik Nadji

Today we have soaking up the Arts. Yesterday,

We had selective testing. And tomorrow morning,

We shall have what to do after rejecting¹. But today,

Today we have soaking up the Arts. Harmonica,

Glisten with melodies of genuine Understanding!

And today we have soaking up the Arts.

TfU is the ultimate festival. And this

Is 3-2-1 Bridge, oh nimble, whose benefit you will see,

When you are given the reigns². And this is the ongoing riddle,

Which in your case you have quite a lot. The assessment branches

Hold in their fold the Ladder of Feedback, the Central Themes,

Which in our case we espouse a lot.

This is the Peer Assessment hatch, which is always revealed

With an easy click³ of a student thumb. And please do not let me

See anyone learning in a zinger! You can do it quite easy

If you have any strength in you, chum! The Kussums⁴

Of the world are speechless, forever wondering if the sea

Of change will ever reach their neighbor⁵?

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Footnotes:

1. Rejecting old ways of teaching.

2. Reigns of true education a la PZ!

3. Click here refers to using clickers as means of implementing discussion using the Peer Instruction method of learning that is promoted by Harvard's own Physicist Dr. Eric Mazur!

4. Kussum in the author's view is a model of the PZ educators out there.

5. Neighbor in another classroom who resists the wave of educational change PZ brings.