By Kathryn Coulibaly
Poet and theater artist Eloise Bruce has been working with Winfield School’s students for more than 25 years, providing them with creative outlets and a chance to connect with great works of literature.
“We incorporate creative drama, particularly in the lower elementary grades,” Bruce says. “In every grade, I always begin with a model poem, a wide range of forms and authors from Shel Silverstein to contemporary poets like Ted Kooser, and, of course, established artists like Whitman and Dickinson.”
Bruce began working with Winfield as a teaching artist after graduate school, taking over the program from playwright and Young Adult novelist Paul Zindel.
For Bruce, the importance of exposing children to poetry and encouraging them to pursue it connects them to everything it means to be human.
“Yeats once said, ‘The world is full of magical things, patiently waiting for our senses to grow sharper,’” Bruce recites. “Poetry is experienced by the five senses and those senses are what give humans their experience of the world in which we live. Poetry is a portal to a truly rich and fulfilling experience of life. Poetry is economical in its use of language and every word must contribute to the poem or be edited out. Therefore, poetry teaches people that words and language matter. There is great power in language. It brings empowerment to those who read and write. In short, when we expose students to poetry throughout their school years, they become more aware, joyful and empowered people.”
In addition to these benefits of arts education, studies have shown that arts education helps to develop empathy, kindness and cross-cultural understanding. It strengthens students’ ability to collaborate and problem-solve and makes them more resilient and flexible.
Bruce has been a teaching artist for more than 40 years. She is currently affiliated with Young Audiences and the New Jersey Principals and Supervisors Association’s Foundation for Educational Administration.
Kathryn Coulibaly is the associate editor of the NJEA Review and provides content and support to njea.org. She can be reached at kcoulibaly@njea.org.