Poetry Through My Career

 Poetry Through My Career

 

               I need to begin by declaring that I did not grow up with a fondness for poetry. My earliest memories of studying poetry as in grade school, probably Grade Six, where I remember the poetry of Bliss Carmen and Rudyard Kipling to name just a few. We were required to memorize the poems, and then to be able to write then out perfectly.  I suspect the reason why poetry was not memorable enough was that the teacher himself probably had no patience for poetry. He was, after all, a principal, and had lots of things on his mind. I adored him but he just didn’t do it for poetry with me. 

 

   Then we had poetry of course periodically in High School, because it was a compulsory component. Again, not the greatest of teachers and not the best works of poetry. Essentially, it became again memorizing soliloquies or sonnets by Shakespeare and having to recite them aloud this time.  By this time, though, my bias against poetry and numbness to the words and emotions of poetry were lost to me.  I remember labouring over the important pieces we studied for our Grade 13 English literature exam. This did not change when I took poems as part of our compulsory English course as an undergraduate.  

 

   When I began to teach, all the curriculum documents spoke to the important role of poetry in the language arts program.  I tried to teach to those documents a bit, but without enthusiasm.  I even tried to use music, since one or two of the textbooks were using the poetry of Paul Simon but I didn’t appreciate the poems at all and so I failed dismally.  But I want it to be known that poetry is and always ought to be an important part of the language program and the literacy program because it is important to appreciate the particular approach poets bring to their use of language.  Things like rhyming and rhythm can be easily approached through poetry and there are many who express themselves well that way.  Just think about the impact that young poet had on the crowds gathered at the inauguration of President Joe Biden and the millions who listened on T. V. or online.  

 

  I wish I could go back and start over again.  I think part of the problem is that it is stereotypical of the sexism in education.  The poetic inclination comes from a very different place in us than novels or speeches.  Poetry requires imagination and the ability to paint pictures in our heads as a result of the words we read and then to be imaginative about the messages being relayed.  I think when we become more attuned to the need to cultivate creativity and imagination in our students, when we see an enhanced emphasis on The Arts in general, poetry will be part of that rebirth.  Until then though, we need to force ourselves to become educated enough in poetry so that we can turn our students on to that particular form of the spoken and written word.  We cannot let it die in our educational systems.