Playing with Fire.

The article offers information on using poetry to motivate and inspire students during difficult times. Topics include the author's preference for teaching poetry in January due to its conducive atmosphere for brooding metaphors and imagery, the emotional exhaustion of students in January 2021 following a year of political unrest and Covid lockdowns, and the effectiveness of using Naomi Shihab Nye's poem "Burning the Old Year" to help students process their emotions and seek a fresh start.