Change and Stagnation
Some nights, the sun displays its grandeur before slinking out of sight. If we are lucky, we are outside walking the dog, pulling those last few weeds out of the garden, on a sunset canoe ride, or sitting on the porch sipping something slightly sweet, slightly tart. Everything changes. Heat can feel like comfort or oppression. A day spent teaching poetry can be many small moments of wonder strung together or one can feel like a visitor in the country of the classroom, speaking in a language no one seems to understand. That’s when it’s time to pull out something else–a poem of surprise, maybe shocking, maybe soothing, an animation, Paganini, Led Zeppelin…don’t discount any possibilities. Life is best experienced awake, and learning is more likely to be accomplished when students are fully present. We are all students, gliding through sunlit evenings or trudging through the mud. Being an observer comes with responsibility. Learning flourishes in unexpected places..
Literary Imaginings by Lisa C. Taylor 