Thursday, October 9, 2008

What Kids Are Saying About John Gallaher

John Gallaher came to work with my high school students yesterday. It was like church...no, it was like what church should be. I could go on and on and on about how much the day meant to me...but instead, I'll share what the kids had to say...verbatim.

  • He made me want to explore my imagination and be more creative.
  • I like how he talked about his wife and children. It made him seem more like an every day person.
  • He is so funny.
  • I love how he connected art and religion.
  • I agree that schools do kill creativity.
  • I love his poems, even though some are hard to understand.
  • I think he should come and speak again.
  • He's pretty much amazing.
  • He made me realize how Sarah Palin's comments are actually offensive.
  • He is inspiring.
  • He has a natural air of being an artist.
  • I love how he says that not everything has to have meaning.
  • He taught me to not always search for the answer, but to enjoy the exploration.
  • I love how he talked about that Wally Steven guy. I want to read his book too.
  • I really want to buy Johnny G's books because he is an amazing speaker and from what I have read, an amazing writer.
  • I love that he made us write and it didn't feel like an assignment.
  • He showed us that we can be creative in all aspects of life.
  • I need to go and see him read.
  • I like when he dropped the f-bomb. It was necessary.
  • He is even crazier than Miss Sullivan.
Thank you to everyone who made John's visit possible. I look forward to having more writers come and dazzle my 17-year-olds.

I'm always a poet. It's not really a choice. I am thinking of a Henry Miller quote, something like, "The writer does not want to write: he wants the world to be a place in which he can live the life of the imagination."

Thanks John for helping me and my students return to that place. We will never forget our day together.

4 comments:

John Gallaher said...

I will never, ever forget it either. It was new for me, and I'm still reeling from their energy. You're doing very good things.

Thank you for allowing me to be there.

John Skarl said...

How awesome!
I'd say the adult fear of what young people might say kills creativity... watch tv, go to sleep, listen to the Ting Tings...

marybid said...

I'm so glad they enjoyed John's visit! I wish he would've sworn for my students a little more... ;)

Maggie May said...

really awesome.