Vulnerable voices: poetic autoethnography as a therapeutic space for teachers

Unlike other forms of expression, poetry has long been used as a profound and expressive tool that unequivocally portrays the human experience. Reflecting on our emotional vulnerabilities as university teachers, we utilized poetic autoethnography as both a therapeutic tool and a research method. Drawing upon a process of poetry writing and reflection over a few months, we composed two poems that explored our nuanced experiences with vulnerability, followed by a thematic interpretation and a description of our healing journeys. Poetry therapy empowered us to reflect on issues that we rarely addressed as teachers and allowed us to embrace them within a field where masculinity, toughness, and perfectionism are not only highlighted but also expected. Given the limited research that utilized poetry therapy for teachers, we hope that other fellow teachers who are engaged in this emotionally charged profession would join and adopt poetry therapy for healing and self-reflection.