Education | ED04 | Summer 2017

Education Magazine
a way with words
English teacher Milly Potter shares the reasons
behind her enduring love of poetry
p
oetry, particularly in the
form of nursery rhymes,
is crucial to children’s
language development.
as a relatively new mum,
i have found myself
in the throes of learning to recite once
more: suddenly i know a whole litany of
poems again; albeit a jumbled mass of
mostly first stanzas (who really knows all
the verses of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star?!)
and i have others where i have combined
the ‘real’ lines with a few of my own (my
personal bedtime version of Lavender’s
Blue is very nearly accurate, or at least, i
have learned my own version perfectly).
have these poems been easier for
me to learn because they have actions,
or is it because i have a greater sense
of purpose to the learning (the all
important entertainment of my toddler)?
i have found myself reuniting with
many a childhood character recently:
grand old dukes; sleeping bunnies;
teddy bears and mice to name a few.
why then, if we love rhymes so freely
as young children, do we tend to lose
this appreciation as we get older? we
continue to learn and sing favourite songs
but, i fear, don’t often choose to curl up
with a book of poetry. prose and stories
win our selection: their meanings and
characters are often easier to decipher,
but poems are different: each reader
gives their own nuances to them and
actually, i would argue, this makes them
ultimately more exciting and accessible.
something i love about poems is
their ability to tell an entire story in a
foreshortened piece. the Once Upon a Poem
collection is brilliant and includes some of
my favourite narrative poems, written by
various authors. Each is championed with
an introduction by a famous storyteller.
in just a few pages it is possible to be
swept away on noah’s ark (which has set
sail without a unicorn because of the lazy
nature of one of noah’s sons, ham); to
fall in love with a
highwayman by
moonlight, as bess
the landlord’s
daughter does, and
laugh out loud at
naughty goldilocks’
mischief.
Each poem is
accompanied by
beautiful illustrations; it’s an eye-catching,
exciting read for children, that’s for sure.
in the introduction to his collection
of poems entitled Now We Are Six, a.
a. Milne exclaims that reciting poems is
something we never do (he is nearly right:
i draw your attention once again to my
recent return to nursery rhymes), however,
for me his poems cry out to be read aloud:
Binker is my personal favourite. the secret
of his own – an imaginary friend whose
constancy is ultimately important when
parents are busy – surely bears resemblance
to many children’s own toys and imaginary
characters who come to life? coupled with
E. h. shepard’s well known illustrations,
this classic collection, accompanied with
When We Were Very Young is a delightful and
amusing read to be shared (aloud please).
carol ann duffy, our current poet
laureate, is one of my favourite poets and
her New and Collected Poems for Children
is a real feast. the first in the collection
calls the words of poems ‘fishing-nets,
stars and spells’ and her words cast all
sorts of magic. dip in and out at your
leisure and you’ll meet a variety of
characters: people and animals alike and
be reassured by her portrayal of emotions,
no matter your age. as for me? i hope i
am as inspirational to some as her teacher
who has chalk dust that sparkles.
Milly potter teaches English at dulwich
preparatory school, cranbrook dcpskent.org
51 wealdentimes.co.uk