Teaching the Terrified Tongue (Part LXVIII)

Waterways was invited by the Office of Alternative High Schools and Programs to teach the students at the Austin H. MacCormick Island Academy for young adult inmates on Rikers Island, the first high school in a United States correctional facility. Our experience in special education, literacy, English, arts, and curriculum development ensured that even the most troubled incarcerated student would have access to Ten Penny Players’ educational experience adapted to the special circumstances.

Matthew Hejna was the Waterways teacher at the Rikers Island Educational Facility. He used small press publication, journalism, expressive writing and poetry to motivate the students. He brought copies of the Streams anthologies into the classrooms to inspire writing. One student, Shariff Moore, wrote a poem in response:

THE STREAMS BOOK

Streams is a book full of poems and rhymes,
People speak their minds and their brightness shines,
You can write about the future, present or past,
Or about your new girlfriend, or the the one you had last.
It’s an expression of the mind, the thoughts that you’re thinking,
About your fun weekend or a love that you’re seeking.
Speaking of thoughts, this is mine about the Streams book,
I took one look through the pages and my brain shook.
So I said to myself, I’m a talented writer,
And this is a book that my work should be inside of.
So I gave Mr. Hejna a sample of my work and
He said, “This is great, you’re a talented man.
I’m gonna put you in the book ‘cause I think you deserve it,
A great poem artist and it’s time that people heard it.

Streams is a book where you can write about yourself,
Your personality, reality or big dreams of wealth.
Things that you did and you now regret,
Or something that bothers you and gets you upset.
Let off steam in the Streams, that’s what it’s there for,
And if your work is good and score then write more.
One never knows you might start your fame there,
Then when you’re grown and rich in ten years,
While you’re sitting in your home thinking back you’ll say,
“If it wasn’t for Streams, where would I be today?”
Take my advice, read slow and take a long look,
Remember I said that Streams is a fly book!

John Brathwaite ran the print shop for the Austin H. MacCormick Island Academy. He and his students were responsible for the editing and printing of Academy News, one of city’s most engaging high school publications. With his distinctive craftsmanship, he printed poetry anthologies and chapbooks for Waterways. He recounted the story of one student’s poetry chapbook, in Journey Through Jailhouse Jeopardy:

Billz was a 17-year-old little fellow from Brooklyn. He had a cantankerous streak in him that was well known to teachers. Even his peers would often wonder aloud, “Damn, what’s wit’ dat n...?” There was, however, this ironic twist to Billz: he was independent and motivated and if you knew how to bring out these characteristics in him, his cantankerous streak could be subdued...

Because he was convinced that he was as good a writer as he was a barber, Billz pestered me to let him come to one of my afternoon writing periods sometimes. I finally agreed under the condition that, when he could do so, the teacher with whom he officially had that period would have to give him a permission slip. The plan worked out and when Billz came he worked on writing his poetry. He did very well. Consequently, he was one of those students chosen to have a little chapbook of his best verses printed.

When eventually he saw his little book, so neatly produced, cover printed in colors and even laminated, he was transformed from grouchy to happy. Every day he would be seen reading it with a smile on his face. He was also in the habit of signing copies for his teachers and fellow students. He also signed and mailed out copies. And for all those copies that would be left over, he intended to take them home when he was released. And as it was just a small book, he would sell them for two dollars each.

Journey Through Jailhouse Jeopardy: A good New York City teacher ends up down in bad Rikers Island jail. Odimumba Kwamdela (J. Ashton Brathwaite) Kibo Books 2004 pp 232-3

Paul Auerbach, an English teacher, librarian, and GED coordinator at Austin MacCormick Island Academy, wrote:

Waterways has been a key component in our school's poetry writing program. Throughout the school year, students are invited to submit a minimum of ten poems which are published as poetry chapbooks. These chapbooks are distributed throughout the school, and the student poets receive several copies to give to family members and friends on the outside. The themes of these books are often of a surprisingly philosophical bent: meditations on the purpose of life and the nature of good and evil; other recurring themes are love for mothers, girlfriends, and God. Much of their writing also expresses their fear of and fascination with street life: crime, drugs and revenge.


Arts for Incarcerated High School Students by Paul Auerbach

Ronald G. King had been incarcerated as a juvenile and rehabilitated himself while earning a college degree. He became a Waterways teaching/artist and para in the classrooms set up in the Rose M. Singer Center, the jail for women on Rikers Island. Tim Lisante, the Assistant Principal at the high school for incarcerated women, appreciated the importance of teaching poetry and helped hire Ron, who used his training in poetry therapy to help incarcerated students write about the issues that mattered most to them.

Morning Light

by Betty

Morning light appears to me.
What my eyes see
Don't want to be.
Four walls encased within
Brings to remembrance of
Where I've been.
Been through changes that
Channel my mind.
Left so many memories
Far behind;
Laughter and cries and joyous sounds
The delight and merriment of a busy
Playground.
Wish this light
Would disappear
Take with it
All my fears.
Tear; down the walls encasing my soul
Unchannel my mind
To loose
Its hold.

(from We Master This)