What could schools do to improve the way poetry is taught?
I am time and again very impressed with the way poetry is being taught in the schools, especially when the teacher’s emphasis is more on expression and creativity and progress than on due dates. I’ve witnessed a few classrooms where the students have several writing projects going on at any one time, each in various stages of completion, and the students are allowed to spend their creative time with the project that is most stimulating to them at that moment. That might be a little tough to manage, but it might also be more in line with how we create outside of the classroom. What advice would you give to young poets? Read! Not just poetry of course. Read everything and anything you find challenging and exciting. The best writers are readers. Thank you, Eric!
