An architect is given a program, budget, place, and schedule. Sometimes the end product rises to art - or at least people call it that.
Besides the actual reading in class of many poems, I would suggest you do two things: first, while teaching everything you can and keeping free of it, teach that poetry is a mode of discourse that differs from logical exposition.
I welcome the Democrats' ideas on Social Security. I think it is very important to make a bipartisan reform.