Page 15 - WTP Vol. VII #1

Barry PeterS
Student Engagement
What I’m selling here today is the dust bowl,
its history, its cost, its environmental impact,
the dust bowl comes with an article to read (don’t worry, it’s short, very short), a worksheet, a think-pair-share activity, and a group project,
you’ll be given ample time in class to produce a product,
a poster or vid or tweet in which you tell us something about the dust bowl,
a product I can showcase at my next professional development meeting
as proof that I’m using the latest pedagogy,
that I’ve tapped into your consumerist desire
to learn everything you can about the dust bowl
instead of sitting there drought-brained and slack-jawed,
your only real desire a boyfriend, girlfriend or new phone
the way I desired a ten-speed bike when I was your age
and got a five-speed, which was good enough for me
to pedal away from middle school as fast as I could,
now that I think about it, the wind in my face, rain pouring
warm down the back of my neck.
Recent and forthcoming publications include poems in Best New Poets 2018, Baltimore Review, Broad River Review, Connecticut River Review, The Flexible Persona, The Healing Muse, Jelly Bucket, Kakalak, KYSO Flash, Miramar, Plainsongs, Rattle, The Southampton Review, and Sport Literate. Peters lives in Durham, NC, where he also teaches.
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