Gymnastics

by Prescott Circus Summer Program Students
Summer 2020, Week 4

I am learning to do gymnastics
And I am learning to wake up on time
And I am learning to use my brain to–
Not take action first, when I have things on my mind
And I am learning not to quit, and I am learning to keep trying
And I am learning not to be mean and–
Not to yell, or be rude, or unkind
And finally, I am learning that it is much, much easier to just–
get good at gymnastics

Process:
We had a student read a student sample of a Pastiche based on Linda Pastan’s, I Am Learning to Abandon the World. Then we asked them to think of themselves as individuals and performers and respond in the Zoom chat to statements about what they were learning to do and not to do. We gathered the responses for the next class. Finally, students voted on what language to include, and its position in the poem. We asked “A” if we could use a filtered image of them juggling pins as an illustration for this week’s poem, and they agreed!  – Coach Deb

Prescott Circus’ 2020 Summer Circus and Academic Program is supported by The Oakland Fund for Children and Youth and The City of Oakland Cultural Funding Program.