“Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” – Proverbs 22:6<\/p>\n

If we believe that the things we teach our children today are what they will “not depart from” when they are old, then we have to believe that the content of that teaching matters.\u00a0 We have to believe that the standards formed in childhood are the measuring sticks for the rest of our lives.<\/p>\n

Children form their opinions of reality on the things they read, whether poetry or prose.\u00a0 And this is why I believe that so-called “School Reader Poetry” may in fact be one of the most important, as it is one of the most overlooked classes of poetry.\u00a0 This is not because it ranks among the greatest of poetical works ever, but rather because its merits or defects form the starting point for our children’s appreciation and knowledge of poetry.<\/p>\n

The poetry we learn when we are beginning to read poems, will either kindle in us a desire and appreciation for the right kind of poetry, or weaken and trivialize our impressions of it.<\/p>\n

The poem in this post is originally from “Monroe’s Reader” published in 1872, and later reprinted in a set of Mennonite readers, where I first found it.\u00a0 Here are five things which make it one of the best of its class.<\/p>\n

1. Simple But not Simplistic<\/strong><\/h5>\n

A great mistake often made in children’s poetry is over-simplification.\u00a0 If we are trying to help our children grow and expand their ideas and vocabulary, we want to be continually stretching their capacity.\u00a0 Simple poetry, with a few new thoughts or words can do this, where simplistic or sing-song poetry tends only to keep our children at the same level.\u00a0 This poem, “Writing on Sand” is a good example of being simple but not simplistic.\u00a0 The ideas and thoughts are clarified and simplified for children, but not to the point of being weakened or made silly.<\/p>\n

2. A Lesson Which is Straightforward but Thought-Provoking<\/strong><\/h5>\n

The idea of walking on the beach and writing such an everyday thing as our name and the date, is something which children can easily relate to and picture.\u00a0 But drawn from this commonplace idea is a thought-provoking message which reminds us of what ultimately matters.\u00a0 By comparing the invisible eternal lesson with the imagery which we can all relate to, it allows children to think about our standing with God in a new light.\u00a0 A commonplace occurrence paralleled with a simple moral is a great thing in school reader poetry, because it gives a decided point to the poem without making it too philosophical for children to understand.<\/p>\n

3. Impeccable Rhyme and Metre<\/strong><\/h5>\n

Another critical point in children’s poetry is that the rhyme and metre should be just about perfect.\u00a0 If children learn that awkward flow and not-quite rhyme are okay in the poems they are familiar with, it will weaken their ideas of what is good poetry.\u00a0 On the contrary, when the metre and rhyme are sound and flowing, they will learn to settle for nothing but the highest quality.\u00a0 If you notice in the following poem, every single rhyme is a perfect match of its rhyming word or words, and each line is a consistent length and rhythm, without a single exception.\u00a0 This also makes it much easier for children to read than a poem which is awkward or inconsistent in its metre.\u00a0 The lines simply flow as they are intended without any thought on the part of the reader, which is an essential sign of great poetry.<\/p>\n

4. Language which Stretches the Vocabulary<\/strong><\/h5>\n

Children’s vocabularies are continually growing and expanding, as they discover new words and new ways of using old words.\u00a0 This poem includes some words and phrases which may not be familiar to all children, but without becoming daunting or bewildering to them.\u00a0 A few words may need explanation to some children, but that isn’t a bad thing at all, and in fact is necessary to expanding anyone’s vocabulary.<\/p>\n

5. A Poem We Never Grow Out Of<\/strong><\/h5>\n

And lastly, something which is an infinite charm to a piece like this, it is a poem we never grow too old to appreciate.\u00a0 It may not be as complex as some poems we encounter later in life, but it never sinks below our ability to appreciate.\u00a0 The perfect flow, the elegance of its simplicity, the cadence, and the lesson are all attributes which make it beloved even once we have seen and experienced greater.\u00a0 It’s not a poem we are disappointed to read again once we’ve outgrown so many of the paragons of our childhood, because there is something innate in it which makes it good poetry.<\/p>\n

Writing On Sand<\/strong><\/h5>\n

Alone I walked the ocean strand;
\nA pearly shell was in my hand.
\nI stooped and wrote upon the sand
\nMy name, the year, the day.
\nAs onward from the spot I passed,
\nOne lingering look behind I cast\u2014
\nA wave came rolling high and fast,
\nAnd washed my lines away.<\/p>\n

And so, methought, ’twill shortly be
\nWith every trace on earth of me:
\nA wave from dark oblivion’s sea
\nWill roll across the place
\nWhere I have trod the sandy shore
\nOf time, and been, to be no more\u2014
\nOf me, my day, the name I bore,
\nTo leave nor track nor trace.<\/p>\n

And yet with Him who counts the sands
\nAnd holds the waters in His hands,
\nI know a lasting record stands
\nInscribed against my name,
\nOf all this mortal part hath wrought,
\nOf all this thinking soul hath thought,
\nAnd from these fleeting moments caught
\nFor glory or for shame.<\/p>\n

The poems we read in childhood, besides forming our opinion of poetry for life, will also have their part to play in that “lasting record” inscribed against every one of us.\u00a0 The goodness of these poems may influence our eternal outcome by teaching us to seek the right and shun the evil, to hold fast to that which is good, that when that lasting record is complete it may have much of glory and nothing of shame.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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