at least my hands are clean
The PTA speech? All I know is it would start off with me giving my best
Emerson impersonation: “Why should not we also enjoy an original
relation to the universe?” And go on with a sharp critique of (English)
teachers and parents. I’d point my finger out to all the teachers with
their hands filthy from only teaching poems they can crack, many
teaching the subject because they love the short story and the novel
and poetry is a dollop of Cool Whip on the top. And I’d look down upon
the parents for not reading poetry to their kids when they were very
young while they were on the toilet. It’s the best place, you got ‘em,
and they have this wonderful look of concentration on their face.
& funny he says it there … because i spent a good chunk of today’s sophomore classes wrestling with dickinson’s 587 “Empty my Heart, of Thee –” … definitely a poem i couldn’t crack … in fact, had them write a paraphrase of it last night in the hope of learning something from them … and i did … but there are still some rough spots.
but jordan’s notion about poetry in the schools is dead on … teachers by&large - despite the best efforts of Kenneth Koch (r.i.p.) & PoetsintheSchools - don’t get it fear it hate it & avoid it … but not me, boy … i often don’t get it but that never stops me … never been too worried about looking like an idiot in front of my students … object lesson in not having to know everything … bring on the poems
