Immersion Through Poetry by Andy Schoenborn

A few years ago I was searching for a way to immerse students into English Language Arts from the moment they entered the classroom on day one - a task not easy to do with seniors.  Most times they would slouch into their seats and wait for the monotonous drill of reading syllabus, sharing the classroom expectations, and grading policies.  I was as bored as they were slogging through the protocol. 

I questioned why I felt the need to begin an exciting course by boring students to death. 

My reasoning, of course, was simple - it was a necessity.  Still, there was this nagging feeling that more could be done.

Not one to wait for the next trimester to experiment, I made my move the next class period. 

As students entered the class, I welcomed them as usual with a handshake as I introduced myself as Andy.  When they were all seated I shut the door without saying a word, turned the lights off, turned the projector on, adjusted the volume and played Shane Koyczan’s poem, “Remember How We Forgot.”

Video Link

The haunting violin accompaniment and rich words resonated with students who were beginning to look back at what they want to remember as their public school experiences came to an end.  As Koyczan’s word fade, silence filled the room. 

“Wasn’t that great?,” I said and encouraged them to snap along with me, “Come on, folks, you can do it.  Honor the words.  Honor the experience.  It will feel strange at first, but soon it will feel strange not to snap your appreciation.”  They snapped along and we chatted about the power of words.

When someone tells me they don’t like poetry, I don’t believe them.  I ask, “Do you like music?”  Invariably, they do.  I ask, “Do you like the lyrics?”  They do.  “Then,” I say, “you like poetry, you just don’t realize it.”

For some reason, many people associate poetry as some inaccessible and lofty art form that either you are gifted with or you are not. 

As a writer, I know there is play involved and I find ways to incorporate poetry as creative writing into my classroom as often as I encourage independent choice reading.  To appreciate either reading or writing low-stake entry points are a must. 

To that end, we recite poems daily and explore opportunities to write as poets. 

Words bring us together.  Words help us to see we are not alone.  Words empower us to explore the observations we make in the world. 

Poetry is a way to immerse students in language while they learn about themselves and others.


Andy Schoenborn is a high school English teacher in Michigan at Mt. Pleasant Public Schools.  He focuses his work on progressive literacy methods including student-centered critical thinking, digital collaboration, and professional development.  As a past-president of the Michigan Council of Teachers of English and National Writing Project teacher consultant for Central Michigan University’s Chippewa River Writing Project he frequently conducts workshops related to literacy and technology.  Read his thoughts on literacy in the elafieldbook.wordpress.com and follow him on Twitter @aschoenborn.  View his students’ poetry on livewrite.edublogs.org.