Poetry by Heart: A teacher's-eye view

Beth Cooper-Guest is a Director of Faculty and an English literature teacher at Newcastle SFC. She’s worked as a Head of English for several years in both secondary schools and now in the sixth form sector, and this year she is a finalist in the All Staff category of Poetry By Heart, the national poetry speaking competition. Beth explains why she took part and why others should too.

I first heard of Poetry By Heart years ago and I’ve always wanted to do it. I’m so glad I finally managed to take the plunge!

As an English teacher, the process of choosing and learning a poem by heart, and creating a spoken performance, has given me new perspectives on poetry. Committing a poem to memory really helps connect with the structure: each shift in direction the poem takes becomes a ‘hinge’ into the next part. You find yourself landing on certain phrases knowing you’re going to enjoy them because the word choices are so playful and compelling.

I have always loved teaching the ‘music’ of poetry in terms of patterns of alliteration, sibilance and assonance, as well as syllabic rhythm, and these are especially fun to explore when you engage with the oral tradition of poetry. The energy this process has given me has shaped my lessons. Structure is especially important, because when you know a poem intimately, those changes in tone - the reversals or refrains - reveal the speaker’s inner world, and that’s as true for Shelley and Keats as it is for Seamus Heaney.

It’s also important that teachers can ‘geek out’ in terms of their own expertise. For English teachers, showing that poems aren’t stale artefacts to examine, but can become living, breathing parts of us, is especially important where we’re working with students from disadvantaged backgrounds, because there are some big myths to bust here. We work with A Level students who experience a lot of pressure, perhaps from families, or just pressure they put on themselves, to go onto further study with a defined vocation like law or psychology. I work with some incredible English teachers who like to find creative and exciting ways to illustrate to our students the cultural and social importance of studying poetry, not just because of the skills it can unlock for them, but also because we need to read for pleasure: it’s good for us, for our well-being, our mental health. And learning poetry by heart has a unique place in this because it’s about poetry as a shared experience and community.

I chose a poem which reflects ideas all young people should hear: ‘Oh the Places You’ll Go’ by Dr Seuss is about feeling inspired and how good it can feel to follow a dream, no matter how difficult or unpredictable that might be. Young people hear, in this poem, someone telling them with total conviction that we see them fulfilling their potential. I loved this poem as a parent, but as a teacher it’s special too: I’ll be rehearsing with Y12 classes in the run up to their mocks while they’re making their UCAS choices, and what better way to convey ideas about growth mindset and ambitious destinations than a poem!

It’s such a tangible, concrete achievement to keep a whole poem in your head. For our students, taking part in Poetry by Heart has been an incredible way to leave their comfort zone and have a sense of achievement, especially when they may have had to overcome all sorts of personal and educational barriers.

For A Level Literature students in particular, their confidence in approaching an unseen poem has always been a tough part of the exam, so having new approaches has been great. Each different stage in the process of preparing for the competition has brought about wider effects. Firstly, selecting poems has encouraged students to read more widely and in a discerning manner, not just reading poems because they’re on a list, but looking for something they connect with personally. Next, the routine and discipline required for memorisation are critical, especially for students making transitioning from GCSE to A Level, where the course is so demanding. And it’s a privilege to see the courage it takes to share that poem by performing it.

I would be excited to see other sixth form colleges getting involved. A Level courses can be tough, and participating in a competition like this is exactly what staff and students alike need to bring it all to life. For A Level English students, this is an opportunity to inspire and stretch top students, and to energise students who may have come from households and backgrounds where poetry is just not present.

For teachers thinking about taking part in Poetry By Heart themselves, I’d recommend being a bit selfish. We have so many demands on our time as teachers that it’s easy to see spending time learning a poem as an ‘extra’, but it’s worth it. For me it’s made the difference between driving home thinking about coursework I need to mark that evening, and driving home thinking about how I’ve cracked a bit of the poem I’d been stuck on.

I’m really looking forward to my trip to the Grand Finale - I’ve never been to Shakespeare’s Globe before! It seems incredible that I’ve spent so much of my life reading, watching, talking about and analysing Shakespeare, and this will be my first experience being in that theatre. I can’t wait to meet the other teachers who have been learning their poems by heart too; I’m fascinated to see how other people have chosen their poems, and to meet ‘kindred spirits’ who have taken the time out of busy lives to carve out this space for poetry.

The 2026 Poetry By Heart Grand Finale will take place on 6th July at Shakespeare's Globe, featuring Beth alongside successful staff and students from several SFCA member colleges. Find out more on the website.