Students Learn to Hear the Poet Inside

Reprinted from Pioneer Press News Article, February 29, 2008
By JENNIFER ZIMMERMAN, Pioneer Press

Bill Buczinsky has become a regular face in the hallways of John Laidlaw Elementary School in Western Springs. Dragging along his backpack on wheels, coupled with a guitar case and morning coffee, the tall, smiling man can hardly walk a few feet without being stopped by curious students. "Good morning, brother," Buczinsky says, as he passes a young boy holding a violin case. "You go make noise now."

Many students met Buczinsky, or Bill as they call him, just days earlier. Others still remember him from a brief appearance he made last year. They all have questions for him, or to chime in with one of his many songs. What they may not realize is that songs and words are part of his unique way to teach students about poetry and creativity.

Buczinsky's company is called A Child's Voice. He visits schools and conducts poetry workshops for students and teachers. He also has a series of instructional books that help students develop their poetic abilities. "Having him around has made all of us, as he says, hear that inner voice," says fifth-grade teacher Jen Cushman.

Cushman worked with the Western Springs Foundation for Educational Excellence to bring Buczinsky back for a return engagement, after she saw such a positive response from her students during last year's assembly.

Through song, and by having students explore their more unusual side by asking questions -- such as, "What is the flavor of a fairy's kiss?" -- he teaches students to have fun without looking for "right" answers. "Poetry is a game," he says. "Instead of dribbling a basketball, we are going to create rhythm."

As published author, Buczinsky says the first rule of being a good poet is to break all the rules and "destroy all academic principles of writing a paragraph." This helps students write in an unstructured way, which eventually becomes poetry. "Too many of us are scared of words," he tells a class of energetic fifth-graders.

The class follows along closely with Buczinsky, singing his songs and listening to his directions. All seem eager to participate, coming up with words and off-the-wall phrases that he spins into poems. His instruction style is far from the typical classroom experience, as he sings, writes out descriptive words and throws out quotes by people such as Mohammed Ali.

But it is all part of the bigger message, that writing poetry is not about following a guide book. Students seem to understand. "His strategies are different than mine and they help me get out more ideas," says Mary Claire Cox, a student in the class. "I didn't know you didn't have to rhyme." This is success to Buczinsky, whose strategy is to get kids to come out of their shells, embrace their weirdness, and enjoy writing.

As a former high school teacher, Buczinsky says he quickly realized how many educators leave out poetry lessons in their curriculum. This puts students at a disadvantage, because writing poetry is directly linked to people developing their vocabulary and creative skills. He decided to start his own company 12 years ago, to bring poetry lessons to schools. "It defines kids' thinking," he says. "It allows them to write their own experiences to a subject and filter things out in a personal way."

To wrap up the week of lessons, students in every classroom will recite their poems to classmates, teachers and parents during an open mic at 7 p.m. March 7 in the school's gym, 4072 Forest Ave., Western Springs. Cushman said this will show how students have embraced their poetry skills and how excited they are about having Buczinsky around. Buczinsky anticipates a crowd, with more than 60 to 70 students. But the real fun is just getting people to discover their creative abilities. "They may not all be poets, but they all have poetry," he says.