Words That Mend: The Transformative Power of Writing Poetry for Teachers, Students, and Community Wellbeing

Written by Susan Ahlbrand, Tamara Belko, Sarah J. Donovan, Barbara Edler, Wendy Everard, Kim Johnson, Jennifer Guyor Jowett, Denise Krebs, Leilya A. Pitre, and Margaret Simon

Words That Mend: The Transformative Power of Writing Poetry for Teachers, Students, and Community Wellbeing is a book written by teachers for teachers. It offers poetry as a powerful transformative agent to service teachers, their students, and community. The authors candidly share their personal stories of trauma, pain, and loss, as well as stories from the classrooms and community events. They emphasize that processing traumatic or tragic events through poetry writing has become a step toward recovery and rediscovering hope. Moreover, writing it in a community where they connect and support each other is even more helpful. This text recognizes the need for continuous healing for teachers who then will be able to support their students and communities. With this goal in mind, teacher-poets extend their invitation to foster spaces that allow including poetry in teaching and learning practices for academic achievements, for restoring emotional wellbeing of teachers, students, and their families, and for a centering of creative writing in ELA. The book includes practical ways for teachers to engage in poetry writing for self, students, and community by providing prompts, instructions, and a space to share their poems.