I entirely agree, with my whole being, that students need poetry. Jago writes, "teenagers spend hours every day listening to song lyrics in search of language that reflects their feelings" (Jago 75). Unfortunately the music that fills air space in the radio is far too empty. Most lyrics in pop songs are, in my opinion, detestable and a sad excuse for art. I've read far too much good poetry to be satisfied by cheap lyrics. This is why I think that teachers should introduce good poetry into the classroom. There is so much power in poetry! Not only will students come face-to-face with challenging thoughts, emotions, situations, etc. but since poetry will be effectively modeled to them they will be able to create their own art. Poetry can explain personal reactions to major historical events. In order for teachers to include challenging poetry into the classroom they should model how to read poetry. Jago suggests on page 78 to:
pose questions
identify unfamiliar vocabulary of allusions,
make connections to their own experience,
rephrase inverted lines, and
comment on the poem
This reminds me of 'thinking aloud'. Reading poetry in class can help students understand how to read something in context and with deep reflection. I think that including poetry in the class is crucial.
I agree with you, Tiffany. I remember not learning a lot about poetry in high school and I really wish a teacher would have used some of these strategies.
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