Rationale
Having the awareness that overwhelmingly, my students have a great disdain for poetry, for a variety of reasons, I fully understand that in order to attract and maintain their attention and focus, I need to bring them to awareness of the importance of poetry. Sure, I could declare my authority as the teacher and command them to participate and wrestle with the unit, reminding them of the power of my pen. Or: I could take the time to explain to them the possibilities that exist in reading and studying poetry and how it is these possibilities that could change their lives for the better; a lofty ambition to be sure but well worth the effort. So, it is with hope in my heart and great expectations that I work to gently introduce my students to the magic of poetry through thoughtful responses. I think it is important to convey to my students that one must read a poem with an open heart and if they are able to do so, they will gain insight into the inner workings of a writer’s mind which can very often mirror our own. They will be made to understand that to read poetry as though it were a logical proposition would be to be left with a minimal comprehension that is inflexible whereas to read it emotionally, with an open heart, is to experience the nuances and eternal hope that springs forth from it. I will lead my students to the knowledge that understanding poetry is valuable and necessary in our world that is full of sorrrow and that every poem holds something different for every reader. Finally, my students will come to understand that understanding poetry helps us to pay attention to, to honor and value, the things that makes us fully human. Certainly, while poetry is no panacea for the plague of difficulties my students face on a regular basis, it can be a meditative and reflective support that beckons them to something greater. It can be a guide and a counselor; an energizer and revitalizer. But most of all poetry can be a unifier between self, community and the world and it this unity that makes for safe spaces, personal validation and a lifting of voices singing the praises of loss, suffering, redemption and love.
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