The Play Way Heaney reflects on the experiences of a trainee teacher seeking ways to encourage creative writing in his class. He describes then assesses the effectiveness of his attempt on one occasion to use a piece of classical music as a catalyst. The classroom presents an age-old quality to the sunlight that enters in shafts through window-panes and probes each desk/ For milk-tops, drinking straws and old dry crusts; the trainee has decided to defy equally age-old teaching methods, enlisting innovation in the shape of an orchestral recording: music strides to challenge it. His aim is to replace his [...]