Last week, my youngest group of creative writers finished producing their own anthology of poetry on the theme of transition. The move from primary school to secondary school is a rough old time for any kid and for our group, a prime opportunity to reflect on the changes: coming to a bigger school, dealing with new subjects and teachers, making new friends, contending with older and scarier students around school… a literary goldmine for my young writers!
Transition anthology
Speaking of reflecting, out of all the different creative writing groups I run (11-12 year olds, 14-15 year olds and 17-18) it’s interesting to note that the younger the child, the braver he or she tends to be! My Year 7 kids are willing to read their poetry in front of an audience without being shy, or succumbing to peer pressure or awkwardness of any kind – it’s kind of like, ‘yeah, Miss, I’ll do it!’ That’s the attitude I like to see! This week, I’ll be taking four of them on a visit to a primary school to read their poems to an audience of up to 100 Year 6 pupils and their teachers, and show the younger kids the kind of creative writing opportunities they’ll be able to take part in when they come to secondary school.
Leilanie Stewart 