Education

One of the things that bugs me as a taxpayer but love as an employee are intersession courses. It's my high school's summer school. If kids don't pass their classes in the regular school year, the district pays, at great expense, for them to take it over. It doesn't add anything to their education since they already covered the material- it's a complete waste of money. On the other hand, it allows teacher to make some extra money.

Anyways, there's an intercession class in my room during my free period. The teacher is very good and cares about teaching, but the way she teaches poetry is interesting from a political point of view.

First, she tells children that poetry is boring because most of it is by "dead white guys" and that they can't relate to it. Now, isn't that kind of limiting? I can relate to people not of my demographic because I think there are some human feelings and emotions that are universal. Furthermore, does that mean that white men shouldn't read works by black, Hispanic, or Indians? What does she think that students can relate to? A poem about a Bronx ghetto that talks about going to jail, Iran-Contra, Da Nang, "trickle-down" economics wherin "the government gives money to corporations," and other political (Michelle Obama's version) concepts that makes young people angry.

Second, in explaining similes and metaphors, she explains how people used to think they were "superior" to animals and implies that we now know better.

One of the reasons I don't read modern poetry and, I think, some students don't like it, is that it's formless and a "way to express emotions" as most students responded when the teacher asked them what it was. Who cares, then?

Anyways, just venting.