Patti McCurdy teaches at College Durocher Saint-Lambert, a private French high school on the south shore of Montreal.  She was educated at Guelph University, Queen’s University, and the Sorbonne and is currently working on a Masters in Education at The Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto.

 

McCurdy, who has been teaching for 27 years, says her challenge is to teach her grade 7 and 8 francophone students the basics of English grammar as well some literature. For the last couple of years, she’s done this by inviting poets in to her classes.

 

Poetry Quebec was curious to know how this pedagogy worked out.

 

“I prepare my class by focusing on poetry in general. We study poems, analyze poetry techniques and forms, write poems… we do scrapbooks, poetry slams, we write lyrics.” This seems to work because according to McCurdy: “They love the visits, which involve hands-on writing activities and question-and-answer periods after a presentation of bio and live readings.”

 

She says these activities work best and encourages writers to have a varied presentation if they want to have enthusiastic interaction: “What works best is active, engaged students who get to participate and create after being inspired by a real live poet who works at his or her craft.”  

 

This gives the students inspiration to write, publish and or perform their poetry. They learn by seeing and hearing poems that can be about anything and everything. It can be about the personal and the universal, and sometimes about both at the same time

 

McCurdy also has other ways of cultivating her student’s love of poetry: “I have my own journals of poetry and show them my own process and read selections.  We discuss song lyrics and listen to music and performance poetry artists online.” McCurdy is a big believer in using the latest technology to help turn on her students.  This year they are using blogs and wikis to communicate and collaborate on songwriting and poetry in addition reading reviews.

 

McCurdy admits she, too, is inspired by the visiting poets:  “Personally I … find that a spurt of intense writing and creative production follows.” Not only in her writing but in her Irish music, and in her singing with the Siamsa and Arthemuse choirs.