In 2003 I taught up on a mountain in San Diego in a "temporary" job as the 3d to 6th grade teacher, but actually I was on leave from my present position in Hueneme. I'm 1st there now again. I worked in Warner Springs just trying to stay afloat financially, physically, spiritually. My husband was hired there as the Superintendent.
That Summer, after a teaching year, I was hired to teach a summer school and children wrote these poetic responses to rocks we found and were using in a geology unit. These haiku's were written by my enthusiastic writing students. I know they loved the "shortness" of this form. The children ranged in grades 3 to 6th. So about nine years old to 13.
Many were Native Americans or the children of people on ranches in this high altitude back country.
My role here was editor. Truthfully the changes I suggested were done only with the approval of the students. Many suggestions did not happen, these kids knew their own minds. I left Warner after this summer to return to work where I was tenured. It was just as well, the lessons of that place etch deep. Timeless. I carry them still. If you enjoy Haiku or brief verse this might be appealing. I'd look at a a few rocks.
We were studying the geology of San Diego, and the area around Warner Springs features extremely unique geology. Developing writing skills as well as ways to present what we were learning too. Following the poems I'll attach a creation attempt written as a first sample. Many students wrote longer creation myths but my files seem lost, perhaps they reside still on the computers up on the mountain. We sat at the highest peak in the county. In a massive sea of stones.
This unit of science was combined with the creation of poetry (here haiku) and art to help us unite our local San Diego Mountain culture with this earth study. This book, group of poems that we bound and illustrated, represents one of our efforts to see clearly that beauty and voice which is found in the rock……… from the Summer 2003.
Rock-u
Haiku from a Summer School
In a Geology Unit
Mrs. Puglisi's class
Sharp and shiny big
I found you at my house
Color and some strips
Cecilia Cervantes
White clear and thrilling
Found it in a small mine
I loved it very much.
Cecilia Cervantes
Round, speckled and dim
Brownish gray, black and yellow
Cracked smooth and cold
Amy Bond
Soft, glittery, brown
Big, hard, silver pretty, nice
Mountains all around
Adriana Cervantes
Black, dark rock circle smooth
Little rock smooth lines soft
Smile like a face
Roberto Montanez
It's big, grey, dotted
The volcano is blowing
Red Steamy lava
Kelsey Vargas
A golden pinch wolf
Shine like the moon at night
Howling to the moon
Lillie Robinson
Gold grey black bumpy
Hard white rolling crusty
Sharp dirty dark plane
Gold grey black bumpy
Hard white rolling crusty
Sharp dirty dark plane
Andrej Dominguez
Bumpy, striped, spotted, dirty
Grass pretty shiny, white smooth
Round, sparkle, big shape, rotted
Marianna Cervantes
Big, black and tan brown
This rock is nice and strong cola
Nice, neat clean black
Marquel Vargas
A big rock is heavy
It can break a bag easy
A big turtles head
Veranica Chapparosa
Rock Coo
Looks like a small skull
Old brown like a person's skull
Cold , lifeless and dead
Joe Chapparosa
Bumpy, white, sparkling
Cold, orange yet crusty and red
Blend of colors, pretty
Dominique Chapparosa
It's broken and very sharp
It seems to me like a face
It comes to me cold
Anthony Dominguez
Small layers of sand
Smooth like a small triangle
Like a key that's mine
Karina Perez
My rock is not that big
My rock is not that heavy
My rock is dark and color-filled.
Chris Whiting
Rock brown black parted
Snakehead shaped found on a hill
Small broken on top
Adam Sherman
Speckled and pointy
Crystals lay on it with color
The edges poke out
Victoria Estrada
Light, diamond shaped light
I found you outside in dirt
Cold, flat paperweight
Kevin Riley
I found you in a hill
It is white and grey
Cold, hot, flat, black, dark.
Alex See
This rock is white, black, brown
This rock is smooth and kind of rough
This rock has some sharp edges
This rock has black stripes on it
This rock has a tiny hole and scratches.
Cameron Marshall
White, clear and tangled
Like two worms stuck together
It is not like the others
Mark Leonard
A frog, sepia, wooden
Color, wet, slimy frog, dark eyes
Like a frog
Kevin Riley
Sharp shiny crystal clear
A stalagtite hanging beautiful
With wind blowing lightly
Kevin Riley
A beautiful mignight sky
Stars shining like never before
It follows you everywhere
Kevin Riley
Shiny, silver, rock
Looks like a mini bike seat
Smooth, cold, tiny, prize
Anita West
Beautiful rock
Purple, white and smooth artwork
Made from God's nature
Anita West
Brown, pink, gray and strange
Reminds me of a tidepool
Polished by the sea
Anita West
Tiny, silver, rock
Looks like mercury spilling
Small shiny liquid
Anita West
Black cat with gray spots
Little, lily pads for frogs
Flowers in a field
Anita West
Mystic, dark blue night
With a moon that is so bright
Tiny wonder rock
Anita West
Black and gray smooth rock
Covered in lots of bubbles
Polished little gift
Anita West
A slice of midnight,
Lost in a deep dark whirlpool
Stranded and missing
Amy Bond
Wind twirling with fright
Pulling the waves back and forth
Ripping the water apart
Amy Bond
Blood flowing through it
Little tiny dark oil drops
Having a grey crack
Mark Leonard
Pyramid like ends
It holds weird cracks on insides
Pretty much see through
Mark Leonard
Brown swirly coffee
Mixed with bits of milk chocolate
Little dent on top
Mark Leonard
Strangely shaped and cold
Very shiny and silver
Little bent egg shape
Mark Leonard
Very nice and blue
Pyramid with a bent top
White spike on bottom
Mark Leonard
It looks like a dog
A bright white and bright gray
A tail, legs and head
Mark Leonard
Inspired crystal
Orange, two holes in it
Square , smooth, like a crystal quartz
Karina Perez
Underwater cave
Dark and spooky under water
Sharp, spike teeth
Alex See
A coiled land full of snakes
Poison fangs dripping death
They're everywhere
Alex See
Something shining in a hidden spot
Put it in the light it shines
Crystal diamond
Alex See
A white snowy mountain
Surrounded by bright pink trees
Azure summit
Dominique Chapparosa
Little time to row
Polished for perfect beauty
Smooth kaleidoscope
Anthony Dominguez
Polish light, tan to red
Smooth big black hole
Beating like a heart
Marquel Vargas
Smooth hard polished light
Dark blue black looks like lightening
Speaks to me softly
Andrej Dominguez
Cloudy dark and blue
Look at the moon late at night
On a cliff cold and dim
Andrej Dominguez
Smooth silver hard warm
Light, part bumpy on one side
See myself in it
Andrej Dominguez
Rock is small and black
Soft and looks like a spaceship
It has a carved shape
Cameron Marshall
My rock is polished
Smooth, hard and it is shiny
Shines like the sun
Chris Whiting
Black and grey spots
Shines in lunar night
Wolf cries at dusk
Chris Whiting
Blue, gold, pink peacock
Outloud beauty in my mind
Making the night bright
Lillie Robinson
Butterfly wind
Cool rock like a butterfly
These are nice colors
Joe Chapparosa
Jaguar
Soft, large wildcat
Big cage for similar leopard
It looks invisible
Roberto Montanez
Wind
Spirals, windy sounds
Writhing, running, riding
Strong helpful breeze
Adriana Cervantes
Ocean
Blue green, bright angry
Water, brine, deep, many seas
Families all around
Adriana Cervantes
Outerspace
Strong bright indigo
Like stars in outerspaces
Blue purple goldfish
Adriana Cervantes
Light dark chocolate road
It's moving like Monsters Inc.
Puzzle chocolate
Kelsey Vargas
Arrowhead shaped good hunting
Killer shaped sharp pointed
Also ocean
Like a jellyfish
An ocean splash
With an thankless sting
Adam Sherman
Snake skin shaped
With poison fang
An unthankful dinner
With a design
Adam Sherman
Rocky
Sudden light Native
Roots, Ages, Vital dark peace
Life smooth day
Cecilia Cervantes
Cerulean blue, green stripe
Squiggled, curly, sprinkled spots
Like ocean calmness
Mariana Cervantes
Land Poem
Puglisi
Before our foot prints
Before the acorns took root
Gigantic eggshells slid the surface
Crashing beside still greater shells
The collision's birth abundance
Great mountains from a floor
Skirted by valleys
Draped by boulders
Mighty masses dancing
Laying around lazily
Waiting for orders
Waiting for eon's messages
Great waters came with muscle
Waters from the heavens
Waters from the horizons
They flowed in seas of mud
And carried the boulders
Floating carefree
Set down horizontal
Sit as they are today
Waiting for the next wave
The next full slide
That will not come today
Still waiting for their orders
As moon and sun raced overhead
The surface brought its bounty
Green wonder blankets
Great yellow ochre swarms
Time swallowed these mountains
Cracked their boulders
Dug their valleys
Ran their streams and traces
Moving slowly as the tortoise
Then violently as the jaguar
Shaking and twisting
Rolling and splitting
Up from the core
Came its waters
Given passage to the air
An eggshell, burnt, escape.
Rocks lend themselves to explanations and story.
And in Winter
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