Gayelle Laleau

Now in this age of technology and high-speed texting with
memory spans shorter than a fly’s, poetry sounds like a
relic. Yet in our schools, poetry is as vital as ever. Poetry teaches us to feel and not to think. It doesn’t matter whether it is a Maya Angelou stanza or a TikTok spoken word video; poetry compacts
into emotions and cannot really be put into essays or equations.

Amazing for students, it can also make them create and express themselves in a way they may not feel they can with words. Emotional IQ and self-awareness skills would be underrated sciences or math. Poetry is language-arts enriched. Reading and writing poetry creates vocabulary, brings rhythm and sound, and
opens up exercise of word choice. In the poetry module, students understand how to read between the lines, identify meaning, and make connections in their lives.

It puts poetry together outside classrooms. Open mics, classrooms, and school literary magazines like this one offer
poetry that brings talk into action about identity, culture,
mental health, and social justice. It is a reminder that our words carry a certain weight.

So, even if it does not come in all exams, poetry is sometimes a sounding board for development. It invokes creativity, gives the students confidence, and helps them find their voice. While in that place of academia, where stress and pressure run rampant, poetry ultimately offers a space for students to breathe.

Never underestimate the power of a poem. Within lines, it can change someone’s day and maybe their life.