12 years ago
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Sweet Little First-Year Students Who Want Me to Read Their Poems
It's been a while since I've had one, but yesterday, in a class populated almost entirely by first years, along one came. For some reason, it's always male students who want me to read their poetry, though I'm not sure why. And they're always really bright and engaged and alert in class and then one day, as class is ending, they come shyly up with a ripped out sheet of notebook paper. It's so darling. It's like one of my absolute favorite things about being an English professor.
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7 comments:
Your post makes me smile.
I have a very different reaction to students who give me poems/stories to read. That it's *work*
I'm overwhelmed and just catching up with blog reading. I'm so sorry to hear about your dad.
awwwwwwwwwwww. I'm dying from cuteness.
I had one do that to me this semester! Only he sent it via email, after talking to me in class in a kind of self-consciously brazen way. He's a first-year who wears a bullet on a leather cord around his neck, and he wanted me to read his poem. It is darling. I'm glad to hear that it happens a lot--so maybe I'll get some more!
OK, this makes me feel better about the (very bad) poem that I gave my history professor at the end of my freshman year. I'm glad there is some slight chance that he found it cute instead of annoying.
I've gotten this too over the years, and only from male students. I think it's because they feel safe sharing their writing with us. Not only do they think we know what "good poetry" looks like, but we won't make fun of them for their interest in creative writing, and it's usually not even part of the assigned homework (in my experience).
You're right, though, it's terribly cute!
It's cute. Except when the poem makes you call the counselor (which has happened to me more than once!).
The trust is overwhelming, isn't it?
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