Poetry in schools.

[billy]

makes sense

Who gets laid more, poets or footballers?

Actually, maybe don't answer that...

What poetry needs, in my rarely humble opinion, is public de-wanking. The best way to do this is to make it so common, and so universally relevant, that nobody even thinks twice about it being an accepted kind of writing. Now, I'm in no way suggesting dumbing it down - rather I'm suggesting that teachers use their imaginations, be creative, encourage critical thinking, stop spoonfeeding students and tell standardised testing to get to fuck because it's destroying kids' ability to do anything but follow orders to get a grade.

And let them write rude limericks if they want to. Just insist on proper form and meter, and original punchlines with clever rhymes. Nobody is really called Alison Bunt.