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Learning for a Lifetime: 2006	Home / Class Time / Learning for a Lifetime / Learning for a Lifetime: 2006


February 4, 2006	Shawn Rocco
When it comes to seeking after-school help, a minivan idling in a dimly lit empty parking lot does not conjure up visions of your typical eighth-grade English poetry class. But on a cold night when you're trying to work out some butterflies and polish your delivery it'll have to do. That's where Louis Wheeling, 13, left,and his English teacher, inspiration and transportation, Jonathan Feinstein, found themselves as they waited for the start of the Jambalaya poetry slam at the Hayti Heritage Center. Though he's been writing and rapping since age 9, it was Louis' first slam -- a competition of spoken-word performances that involve the audience as well as the poet. The youngest of six poets that night, Louis' rhymes belied his age. 'It's all about racism, love, my rep(utation) and how I feel. Instead of getting into fights I put my feelings down in words and freestyle,' he said. Unfortunately, he had to bow out early, only having two poems prepared though there were three rounds. But it was alright. He scored high with the work he had and Feinstein would have been proud either way. 'It's tough to find an eighth-grader who'll put himself out there in such a personal way.'