Response # 6 for Dr. Pytash-- Classics in the Classroom Chapter 5

Chapter 5 of Jago's Classics in the Classroom addresses the importance of teaching poetry. This is one aspect of literature which I anticipate will be very challenging to connect to some high school students' lives. When I was in high school, I remember taking a creative writing class with 30 of my male peers. When the genre of poetry was presented, I remember hearing groans from all around me. However, in the 2 years prior to my Junior year, I had written poetry of my own as an emotional outlet. Although I was confident that I was a successful poet, I kept my talent sealed, as I knew that many male high school students do not appreciate poetry.

However, through this creative writing class, I became more inspired to write poetry when my teacher praised my talent and when my peers came to me for writing advice. Another way that my teacher inspired me to write poetry was by talking about the poetry of Tupac Shakur, a well known music artist. After my teacher presented his poem "The Rose that Grew from the Concrete", she then showed me that she owned a book of Tupac's poetry. This helped me realize that even men as calloused and rugged as this man possessed the ability to spill his heart into a deep, beautiful poem. This book proved to be a driving force in my creative development as a writer of poetry. A year later, upon my first visit to the Kent State University bookstore, Tupac's book caught my eye, and my parents purchased it for me. To this day, when I am discouraged or experiencing a "writer's block", I turn to that book for inspiration. However, Tupac's words are not the only source of inspiration for me, as I remember Mrs. Sanders and the way she encouraged me to reach my full potential. To me, that is the defining characteristic of a great teacher: the ability to encourage students to pursue their true passions with an unshakable confidence.