Just before the summer break I was lucky enough to run several virtual poetry workshops with the fantastic pupils at The Beacon School, Amersham. With the Year 6 class I focused on memories, and the inevitably mixed emotions that students were likely to be feeling at what was a very strange time. Following Kit Wright's famous lead, I asked each student to imagine that they were in possession of a 'memory box', which they could then fill with their memories of their time at the school. I have found this to be an excellent activity for any students who are in the process of transition. Here is a selection of poems that I am delighted to share, with kind permission from the school. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did!
Memory Box by Ben
I will put in the box
The smell of salty air on my first holiday
The way the trees near my house sway
The memories of my first friend
The memories of playing a game till the end
I will put in the box
Being there on my cats first birthday
The first time I saw my imagination glow
Whilst flying over the sea below
The roar of the crowd on sportsday
I will put in the box
My first laugh
And the first time I thought “you shall not pass”
Opening my eyes for the first time
And trying to find a rhyme
I will put in the box
My videogame collection
For all that its worth
And without detection
I would put only the most treasured item I have
My box will be,
Red and covered in muddy paw prints
In the corners will be the secrets of life
And on the lid a constant hint
To the world of what I think
The Memory Box by Faris
I will put in the box
The feeling of being a million miles from home
The tears of the reception boys crying when their Mums said goodbye
The moment that I had bark chippings thrown in my face
I will put in the box
Thinking the older school boys were SO big!
Practicing over and over to tie my school tie correctly
The false smile when posing for the school photos
I will put in the box
Dreading my school swimming lessons
The noise of the boys playing on the Astro
My Mum shouting with excitement when I won the 100m at Sports Day
I will put in the box
The musty, sweaty smell of the changing rooms
Hearing the words “You will need to work faster”
Worrying in case I’d got the wrong day for non-uniform day
I will put in the box
Waiting a very long time for the ambulance after my long jump injury
The fears I overcame during Year 5 PGL residential trip
Wondering if school would close as COVID19 began to spread
The Box by Toby
I will put in the box
The time I got my dog
The time I won the tug of war
The time I had a pool party
The time I wrote this poem
The time I learnt to walk
The time I learnt to swim
Memory Box by Benji
I will put in the box
The excitement of finding out what was for lunch
The agonizing wait for golden time
The amazing feeling of getting no minutes off golden time
I will put in the box
The lonely feeling of going to the nurse
The sadness coming from losing a football match
But amazing friends to always make me laugh
Going to Uganda and meeting some astonishing kids
Seeing a river flowing excrement
Imagining what it would be like to live there
I will put in the box
The anticipation of going on my first overnight trip
Jumping in a freezing cold river and dismantling boats
Staying up late every night
I will put in the box
the startling news that I would be in the A team for every sport
Learning how to play rugby
Being inspired to start my cricket journey
and playing like Quinton de Kock.
...and finally, here we have a poem from Edward in Year 4. I asked this year group to think about and to describe a variety of different emotions. Edward decided to perform his video for the camera, and I think you'll agree he did an amazing job!
