Getting Real
/What is it like to be a young person living through a global pandemic and nationwide demonstrations against systemic racism? Dealing with these massive issues requires a willingness to uncover difficult truths about yourself and the world, and students at William Kelley High School in Silver Bay recently had an opportunity to do just that. In their virtual residency with Guante, students dug deep into these ideas. The result is poetry that explores real issues with nuance and wisdom.
COMPAS Teaching Artist Guante led the virtual spoken word residency at William Kelley High School in Silver Bay. Photo by Elliot Malcolm.
COMPAS Teaching Artist Guante (Kyle Tran Myhre) is a poet, spoken word artist, and rapper whose work often deals with issues of social justice and personal identity. Katie Fritz teaches English at William Kelley High School in Silver Bay, and she first met Guante at an arts integration workshop several years ago. “He led a spoken word session for teachers, and the art teacher and I decided that day we needed to have him visit our school,” says Fritz. So naturally, she reached out to COMPAS.
Originally, Fritz and Guante planned to connect for an in-school residency in Silver Bay, but with the advent of remote learning, the two worked together to translate the material into a virtual format. Guante created a series of five video lessons that covered the usual arc of his programs. “We start by talking about ideas, topics, and things students might want to write about,” he says. “Then we talk about how we can turn ideas into poems, then talk about how we can sharpen our writing to make our poems as effective as possible, and also talk about performance and public speaking.”
The two educators combined the videos with daily assignments and live feedback sessions with the goal of having students complete their own poems by the end of the week. “Guante’s approach to the writing workshop was methodical, clear, un-intimidating, and empowering,” says Fritz. “Beyond that, he connected writing to real world issues and problems that need attention - building writing skills while building opportunities for dialogue.”
Guante encouraged students to use their writing as an opportunity to examine and speak about issues of personal and political significance. “Students enjoyed the opportunity to write about what was important to them,” says Fritz. “For some, they explored really personal moments, events, and beliefs.” The resulting work illustrates the power of young people to speak intelligently and engagingly when given the opportunity to look closely at the world and their own lives.
Guante created a series of five video lessons and combined them with daily assignments and feedback.
The young writers thrived. Fritz tells the story of one student who struggled in class this year. “It didn't look like he would pass this year for a while, and I worried about whether he would choose to return in the fall for his senior year,” says Fritz. However, given the opportunity to speak his mind through poetry, he excelled. As another student noted in their feedback, “Guante really helps us dig deeper and see the big picture.” Young people are capable of – and excel at – talking about real issues with nuance and wisdom. Art helps all of us look closer at our own lives, dig deep, and get real.
Below, read a poem by Allison Kaiser that was written during Guante’s residency at William Kelley High School.
Real
by Allison Kaiser
I used to imagine falling in love would be a Disney channel movie,
The perfect picture of young love.
Our eyes would meet across a crowded hallway,
And maybe you’re taken, but you’re with the antagonist,
So that’s nothing to worry about
Because I’m the hero,
And you have to end up with me in the end,
So after we go on a wacky adventure as the unlikely pair,
And you realize we’re perfect together,
Something I, of course, already knew,
We kiss, and the music kicks up,
The camera zooms out,
And that’s the end.
Happily ever after.
That fantasy shattered when I was thirteen,
Being held by someone I did not love
Because I didn’t know what love was,
But I was afraid that no one would ever hold my hand again,
So I let him.
I didn’t mind that he made me cry,
But even after all this time,
I see him on bad days in the corners of my eyes.
When I met you,
Sparks didn’t fly.
I’d never met someone so unafraid to be who you are.
To this day, I don’t know why you took a shine to me,
And when you told me how you felt,
I didn’t know what to say.
How do I tell you I don’t trust myself to love right?
How do I tell you I’m afraid that honey-coated lies are easier to swallow than the truth?
How do I tell you I’m not ready to drown again trying to make someone else happy?
But it was okay.
I didn’t know it could just be okay.
I wasn’t being dragged along by a rope around my neck,
We were walking together.
I used to imagine falling in love would be a Disney channel movie,
But we are not the perfect picture of young love,
Because I cannot say this is happily ever after-
This is hurting, and healing,
And learning, and growing.
You are not prince charming
Drawn and created to match me-
You’re sunlight in the corners of my eyes,
You’re the breeze on a hot day,
You’re a lullaby in the silence of a gloomy night,
You’re so much better than perfect-
You’re real.
Guante’s residency at William Kelley was part of our Virtual Classroom programming, bringing creativity to students around Minnesota through interactive remote residencies and workshops. Contact Program Director Julie Strand for more info!
