Polyvocal Poetry: Learning to Teach Amid Crises

Abstract

This article examines the perspectives of 18 preservice teachers in a Midwest, USA university teacher preparation program through poetic inquiry. The polyvocal poetry, created from the transcripts of two focus groups, explores the emotional health and well-being of preservice teachers in their field placements amid crisis, such as the COVID pandemic, systemic racism, and the resulting mental health and financial strains facing students in the aftermath. This article further contemplates a researcher’s need to maintain authenticity while working closely with evocative data to construct polyvocal poetry.