LVMS Teacher Brings 'Madness' to Classroom

Imagine ESPN analyst and college basketball enthusiast Dick Vitale teaching eighth grade language arts.

Can you picture it? Can you think of what that would be like?

Think no more, because that idea is pretty close to reality at the

Wayne Shapiro, a staple in eighth grade language arts instruction at the school for decades, decided to bring his love for basketball to the classroom this March.

Shapiro, who also spends his winter nights coaching the varsity boys’ basketball team, wanted to introduce poetry to his students in a fun way this year, so he took one of sports–and pop culture’s–biggest annual events, and made a marriage.

The first ever Wonderful World of Language Arts Poetry Championship is set up in brackets, just like the NCAA’s March Madness tournament, and has students face-off against each other in a winner takes all, single-elimination competition.

At the beginning of the tournament, each student selected a piece written by one of the 100 greatest poets of all time, and has to present a synopsis of the poem to the class. Once the student analyses the work, Shapiro then reads it to the class.

Two students read their synopses each day, and the class votes on a winner.

The loser, Shapiro says, “Goes home to MAMA!”

“I thought it would be a good way for the kids to learn about poetry,” Shapiro said. “These are research projects and it helps them understand the poems.”

If a student’s poem moves on to the next round, Shapiro asks that the student bring more insight to his or her chosen work, hopefully explaining something not analyzed the first time around.

Shapiro’s voice, hoarse from years of coaching and teaching, prompts students throughout the class period with chants, claps and foot stomps, just as you’d see on a team bench in scholastic sports to keep up the energy.

A winner from each class will be crowned, and the champion will be known as the first-ever Wonderful World of Language Arts Poetry victor.

And Shapiro, hoarse voice and all, will let it be known through the halls of the Long Valley Middle School.