"Hey, Mom, I Forgive You": Teaching the Forgiveness Poem

Teenagers often harbor resentment as well as love for their parents. Theirs is an age of rebellion and separation. During the last 40 years, the author has listened as her students stormed in anger at their parents, but she has also witnessed their love and loyalty. As a daughter who has forgiven her mother, and as the mother of two daughters who she hopes will forgive her all of her mistakes, she finds the topic of forgiveness essential--and a recurring theme in literature and history. The forgiveness poem is a yearly staple in her classes. She uses it when she teaches Sherman Alexie's "Smoke Signals" in junior English, but it pairs well with many novels or historical periods. Beyond the curricular connections, she uses this poetic prompt early in the year because it cracks her classes open. Instead of being cardboard characters--the basketball player, the dancer, the high achiever--students become real people whose veins pump equal parts hope and pain.