Should teenagers be taught how to write poetry?

[qzect]

While I do think that poetry is an art, I think that the right guidance can bring out the ability in anyone. If they are dedicated and passionate enough, they can develop the skills necessary to write the most beautiful poetry. I think that, especially in this day and age, kids are used to writing shorthand and using emoticons to express themselves. They simply use a different set of verbal tools to communicate. If given the chance and taught how to structure great poetry, we could encourage many individuals of the younger generation to find themselves in poetry. We may have fantastic poets in our midsts. They just might not know they have it in them.

[Lycaonia]

Poetry isn't a matter of skill, it is a matter of talent, and thought. It isn't truly something you can teach. You could introduce students to a variety of poetry, but whether or not they pick up the trade should be left to them. Educational time in school should focus on more important matters, that aren't easily self-taught.

[Vermont Reviews]

While I do think that poetry is an art, I think that the right guidance can bring out the ability in anyone. If they are dedicated and passionate enough, they can develop the skills necessary to write the most beautiful poetry. I think that, especially in this day and age, kids are used to writing shorthand and using emoticons to express themselves. They simply use a different set of verbal tools to communicate. If given the chance and taught how to structure great poetry, we could encourage many individuals of the younger generation to find themselves in poetry. We may have fantastic poets in our midsts. They just might not know they have it in them.

Yes I agree

Vermont Reviews

[elvislmadison]

As an educator, I truly believe that each person has a story to tell. The best way to tell a story is with a pen and paper. Fortunately, many teens are writing their poetry in the form of song lyrics, but we need to teach them how to better share their stories for all to love.

[jerrywuchte]

I taught 8th grade Language Arts and there is very little in the Common Core standards for teaching poetry. After testing I gave the students an opportunity to write poems and it turned out to be one of the best assignments of the year as far as student engagement. Out of about 80 students a dozen or more actually write poetry in their spare time and had journals they were eager to share.

[Yani]

Yeah. Of course. It can cool down an extreme emotion and might serve as an outlet of fears and despair which are common teenage issues. I can't imagine a scenario where writing poetry can get a teenager into trouble.

[alimsj827]

I agree with a lot of you. Simply teaching poetry in school can excite and inspire many to continue with the art. I mean, some teens will definitely hate it. But I feel with that they will at the least gain an appreciation for those who can and do write such beautiful pieces.

[treo17]

Yes, absolutely. Poetry helps relieve the angst of adolescence, and can help teenagers understand themselves in relation to the world. At least, it did for me!

[WickedKitty]

Yes, it's a good way to express yourself. I know when I was a teen, I expressed myself through poetry since I couldn't do it verbally.

[AutumnPhillips]

As someone who is currently a teenager, I think that this is an important idea... Honestly, I think it should be mandatory for poetry to be taught in a way that inspires kids to keep writing poems. There's currently a lot of push for kids to write stories in book form, but not for poetry... and poetry has a lot of advantages that other story-telling devices don't.

[christi3louise]

I would have liked to have been given some basic understanding of how poetry works - the mechanics of it - when I was in school. Writing poetry has always been something that I've wanted to do and I do firmly believe that although you definitely just have to have the right knack for it, you also should know things like rhyme, meter etc. in order to have a chance of writing well!

[MsMartha]

As someone who is currently a teenager, I think that this is an important idea... Honestly, I think it should be mandatory for poetry to be taught in a way that inspires kids to keep writing poems. There's currently a lot of push for kids to write stories in book form, but not for poetry... and poetry has a lot of advantages that other story-telling devices don't.

When I was a teenager, we were taught more about academic than creative writing--is that still the situation? We had an annual book printed that had creative writing--mostly poetry and short stories--done by class members, but that writing was done on our own time, not in school.

[sabrinanicole2010]

Yes I believe it is important for there english vocab

[Martina_Reads]

I'm not sure you can really teach someone to write poetry, but you can expose teenagers to poetry and show them how poetry can be used to communicate ideas and feelings. My children were taught about literature, including poetry, and two are musicians who write their own songs and the other is a writer. Each of them took what they learned in school and applied it in their lives.

[sourav15]

Something like poetry can't be taught. I firmly believe that a control and understanding of any language comes from exposure and experience. The more we read, we get to know about styles, how to implement those styles so that it won't be too flashy and also in our sub-conscious mind we slowly build up our own style.

Like to speak, we need to listen first, same way to write on your own you need to read first. What schools can do is to provide a great exposure for the children..