Continuing with my creative writing unit, I taught my students how to write similes and metaphors in English. Many of my students cannot write a complete sentence without the help of a template, so similes and metaphors were a form of “structured creativity” that would balance their need for a format and my goal of fostering creative thinking. Here are some of the best sentences from my students this week:

“New York is as grand as a palace. Las Vegas is like a twinkling star.”

“Venecia is like a kingdom above the water. Venecia is peaceful as heaven’s garden.”

“School is as confining as prison. School is as severe as Colosseum. School is as boring as sitting alone for 24 hours.”

“The cat is like a scary assassin.”

“I am as handsome as Robert Downey, Jr.”

“Teacher is like walking encyclopedia.”

“Chicken is my life.”

“Janine is smart like AlphaGo.”

“My pillow is as soft as a baby’s cheek. Everything on my bed is as complete as a math formula.”

“The moon is a 100 won coin.”

“The sun is as big as my parents’ blessing.”

“Full moon is like a gentle night. Full moon is as peaceful as a lake. When full moon sways, you were there. Your smile is like a bright moon.”

“Her eyes are like bright stars in the night sky. Her hair is like dreamlike moon. Her lips are like pure cherry blossoms. Her hands are like warm sunshine. She is like my universe.”

This was one of my favorite lessons so far because I could learn much more about what my students cared about and thought about the world. Based on most of my students’ language skills, it would seem easy to reduce their thoughts and interests to, “Soccer is fun. I like chicken. I want a boyfriend/girlfriend.” A lot of students still wrote about chicken, but my creative writing unit has enabled me to understand their cleverness and experience the depth of their emotions. I almost wish I had done creative writing as the topic for the entire semester.

I am submitting much of their work to a Fulbright-led online magazine for Korean students. I would love to be able to showcase their work in a forum outside of the classroom.