The Roanoker July/August 2022 - 82

education
ROANOKE COUNTY
Courtney Cutright of Northside Middle
says that one of her favorite books to
teach is Hinton's " The Outsiders. "
A
s a Lord Botetourt teacher myself,
one of the sublime joys is when
former students become teachers
themselves. Such is the case with Courtney
Cutright, a seventh grade English teacher
at Northside Middle School. The feeling of
pleasure becomes even better when Chuck
Lionberger, director of communications for
Roanoke County Public Schools, describes
her as a " wonderful choice " to be the division's
representative as a creative instructor.
" I think one of the lessons that I'm most
proud of is my poetry portfolio, " Cutright
says. " When I introduce it, I get a lot of grunts
and groans and 'poetry is hard and boring'
comments.
Then I ask them if they like music and all
of them say they do. I next tell them that all
songs are poems that have been set to music.
By the end of the unit, they're writing their
own poems and often asking if we can do
82
JULY/AUGUST 2022
something like this again. "
Cutright says that to make the lesson
succeed, she has her youngsters read " Love That
Dog " by Sharon Creech. The book involves
how a young boy evolves from a poetry hater
to someone who appreciates this literary form.
From reading this work, the Northside Middle
students learn to write poems in such genres
as free verse, limericks, haikus and acrostics.
Additionally, the students employ their
laptops to create a Powerpoint of their work
which often involves adding photos and music
to their literary creations.
" The students are in control of what they
devise, which is good for their creativity and
overall development, " Cutright says. " To
see that growth from poetry haters to poets
themselves is a wonderful experience for me. "
Another of the teacher's favorite lessons
involves " The Outsiders " by S.E. Hinton who
began the work when she was 15 and finished
it at 17. The 1967 novel involves a cast of social
misfits who don't fit in at school or society as
a whole.
" I have a lot of reluctant readers who won't
even pick up a book, " Cutright says. " But
when they start reading this novel and learn
that Hinton was not much older than they are
when she started it, they really get into it. To
enhance the unit, I show videos and pictures
of 1960s hairstyles, music and clothing styles.
I also show You Tube clips of the Beatles and
Elvis performing. "
Throughout the year, Cutright showcases
her favorite books with students and uses this
lesson again after finishing " The Outsiders. "
Her formerly reluctant readers are often now
much more willing to give a book a chance.
Dazzling teachers are still very much present
in the classrooms of the Roanoke Valley. And
they are doing their very best to educate the
next generation. I
TheRoanoker.com
BRUCE INGRAM

http://www.TheRoanoker.com

The Roanoker July/August 2022

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The Roanoker July/August 2022 - Cover1
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The Roanoker July/August 2022 - Cover3
The Roanoker July/August 2022 - Cover4
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