The school year is drawing to a close now, and so for me it’s time to revisit my goals and consider the extent to which we met them. On the top of my list is the wish that students will see literature not as documents but as “company” that speaks to them. In the essay “My Friend Walt Whitman,” Mary Oliver describes the lifelong benefits she’s received from getting to know Whitman through his work. He’s been her companion, teacher, and trail-blazer. When my students leave with new friends – found in pages – then I know we’ve done something important.
Oliver, Mary. “My Friend Walt Whitman.” Upstream: Selected Essays. Penguin Press, 2016, p. 12.