What she did was to open our eyes to details of country life such as teaching us names of wild flowers and getting us to draw and paint and learn poetry.

Besides the actual reading in class of many poems I would suggest you do two things: first while teaching everything you can and keeping free of it teach that poetry is a mode of discourse that differs from logical exposition.

Poetry teaches us music metaphor condensation and specificity.

I've always written. When I was in school the only teacher who ever liked me was my creative writing teacher. I used to enter poetry competitions and I don't think I ever lost one. So I had the idea for a while of being some kind of poet.

My old teacher's definition of poetry is an attempt to understand.

When I was asked to be Writer in Residence at Edinburgh I thought you can't teach poetry. This is ridiculous.

Poetry is a special use of language that opens onto the real. The business of the poet is truth telling which is why in the Celtic tradition no one could be a teacher unless he or she was a poet.

I learned to impersonate the kind of person that talks about poetry. It comes from teaching I think.

I don't think poetry is something that can be taught. We can encourage young writers but what you can't teach them is the very essence of poetry.

Teaching writing over the years intrudes on your own writing in important ways taking away some of the excitement of poetry.