Invictus and an experience

This is a poem that tells all about how no matter what happens in life, keep pushing yourself and you will come out of the darkness stronger than before you went into it.

Invictus By:William Ernest Henley Out of the night that covers me Black as the pit from pole to pole I thank whatever gods may be For my unconquerable soul. In the fell clutch of circumstance I have not winced nor cried aloud Under the bludgeonings of chance My head is bloody but unbowed. Beyond this place of wrath and tears Looms but the horror of the shade And yet the menace of the years finds and shall find me unafraid. It matters not how straight the gate How charged with punishments the scroll I am the master of my fate I am the captain of my soul.

I wrote this poem from memory, because this poem is my absolute favorite -I had to memorize this poem for my first poem recital test my senior year of high school for AP English...and I have loved and known it ever since. This poem speaks very clearly something that is a large part of my teaching philosophy...the teacher is the "captain" of their own fate, but is also a driving force in what the fate is of their students learning. How the teacher reaches their students is through ways that interest their students...Like my senior english teacher caught my attention with this poem, so must I be able to catch my future english students attention. A teacher should be able to captivate their students minds in a way that encourages learning through the use of sources that their students enjoy reading etc. It is about us (teachers) reaching our students, and helping them grow :)