Being 21-years-old, it was not that long ago that I found myself in a seat in a high school classroom pleading with the clock to go faster. Days never seemed so long, and when the bell finally rang, one would have thought that I was the star of the track team. I think that the reason why I was disengaged from my classes is because the material was often presented in a boring, dry manner. I think that drawing on my past experiences as a high school student will only strengthen my performance as a high school teacher.
One aspect of English class that I absolutely loathed as a student was poetry. I never understood poetry, and it was presented in a manner that did not allow me to engage with the text. Instead of unlocking the complicated language of poetry, it was more important that I was exposed to the poem. I think that as a teacher, I will try to present poetry in a way that inspires the students to dive deeper into the text in order to understand its true meaning. One way that I wish to achieve this is by reading the poem with the students first. Next, I want the students to point out details that they think are significant or present any questions that they may have. Then, I want to analyze the poem as a whole class, rather than leave the students to their own devices. I think that if I am able to incorporate these strategies, I will be able to save my students from the fate that I suffered in high school.
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