Poetry as argument

Breanne‘s demonstration this morning asked us to reconsider the place of creative writing in the English classroom, and we were tasked with recrafting an argument we’ve made before into a piece of fiction.  I tried fiction for a minute, but then I realized I’d probably have more success if I just wrote a rant with line breaks and called it a poem.

Signpost

I do not need you to tell me what I need to learn.
Your goals are not my goals.
You render my work in numbers
That erase the unpredictability that defines development,
The diversity that is my students,
The nuance that imbues my craft.

I learn from my students,
By listening to them and reading their work
To find the signpost that tells me
“Here’s what I can do.  Respect that. And help me decide
What can we do together next.”