Favorite Poem

Wow... my favorite poem...
This is a tough decision, because there is so much good poetry out there! I can at least narrow it down to two poems- one I just recently studied in my Romantic poetry class; this poem is "The World is Too Much with Us" by the marvelous William Wordsworth. This poem is about how we take nature for granted, and that we need to "stop and smell the roses," taking time to soak in the beautiful world that surrounds us. I don't think I would teach this poem in my middle school classroom, but I will have it hanging on my classroom wall. :)
My long-time favorite poem is "The Road not Taken," by Robert Frost. I love this poem because it celebrates individualism and independence, which I believe is of extreme importance during the middle school years. I can teach this poem by teaching the poetic terms associated with this poem, such as rhyme scheme, end rhyme, etc. An assignment I would have my students do is to write about a time in which they "took the one [road] less traveled by." Students could also write a poem about this time in their lives. Another writing assignment associated with this poem would be to write about if they took a "different road" in a major turning point in their lives.

Conferencing

I have been involved with peer conferencing in many classrooms. I remember doing this in middle school, and all throughout high school. During ENG 111 here at Meredith, I participated in peer conferencing, also. I believe it is quite helpful to have someone else read your paper besides yourself before you turn it in. It is extremely helpful to gain multiple opinions and perspectives about your paper before it reaches the professor's hands. Not only is it beneficial to the writer, but it is also beneficial to the student reading the paper. It helps students gain proof-reading skills, and also allows them to see what they might be doing wrong in their own papers.
The downside to peer conferencing, at least, this is what is a negative side for me, is that I have a tendency to chat during peer conferencing sessions.