During the years 1916 â `` 20 , 1923 â `` 24 , and 1927 â `` 1938 , Frost taught English at Amherst College in Massachusetts , notably encouraging his students to account for the sounds of the human voice in their writing . During the years 1916 â `` 20 , 1923 â `` 24 , and 1927 â `` 1938 , Frost taught English at Amherst College , in Massachusetts , notably encouraging his students to account for the sounds of the human voice in their writing .