School’s back in session and one of the courses I’m teaching this time around is entirely virtual.
As in, all online.
It’s an odd thing, never to meet your students face-to-face.
I still have a very tangible (old-fashioned?) image of what a class is. Not old-fashioned as in I-stand-up-front-and-lecture-ad-nauseum-as-my-students-use-toothpicks-to-try-to-stay-awake, but just that we’re a bunch of living, breathing bodies come together to talk, listen and learn together.
So, the breathing part kind of gets lost online, y’know?
And to counter that, I try to soak up each student’s sensibilities early on.
I try to discover what they like to read, what inspires them, what they aspire to.
This week there’ve been a broad array of poets discussed.
It tickles and inspires me, the wealth of work that’s out there.
And that people find, to read and love.
Everyone from Ovid to Mary Oliver, from Whitman to Patchen.
I thought I’d share one of the latter poem’s here.
It’s from a site called Poets Against War, where you’ll find all kinds of good stuff, including this:
Death Will Amuse Them
— Kenneth Patchen
A little girl was given a new toy
That needed no winding and would never run down
As even the best of everything will
And all day she played with it
Following happily over the floor of heaven
Until finally it rolled to the feet of God Himself
(Read the rest here…)
I like to think I know people a bit better once I know what they’re reading. You?
I think online would be tough, but especially for poetry. But then, you’re LIZ. You’re gonna rock this class, sister.
That is one powerful poem. War never does seem to run down, does it?
I am taking two classes online now and I find that I do get to know the other students and the prof.s We use a discussion board and have to do projects with partners and groups. With all the assignments and what not you get a lot of chat time in. It’s amazing how quickly you get a feel for personalities! If you can get students to be able to share photos it’s even better. I am sure you will do a fabulous job of drawing out each student.
I confess to not having “gotten” the poem. The toy was death?
Whew. Glad to know I wasn’t the only one not to “get” the poem. But I’m also glad to know about the site. And yes, I get to know people by what they read (or don’t read, as the case may be). That’s why you’ll find me at the edge of a party, head tilted sideways, scanning titles in other peoples’ bookcases!