Happy School Year to All - Great Adventures In Store!

Tis the last of the summer, a bright sunny day
With the kick off of school just a few hours away
You would think, having done this 30-some times before
That there’d be no excitement, that it could be a bore
The paper is hung and the tables are clean,
I’ve picked out lots of texts we’ll ask “What does this mean?”
Writing tasks have been crafted to find out what you think
And each 45 minutes will go by in a blink
We’ll do research and blogging, journal all through the year,
But the big question, always, is Why are we here?
There’s the AP exam that we tackle in May
There’s the SAT, ACT, PARCC with no play
Maybe grades, or the challenge, or because your mom said, But none of these get to the why in my head
I do not teach English for my love of the books Or the way when we write that our handwriting looks
I am here because words and the baggage they bring Tell us how to be human - do the humanest things
Like to love and be brave and show up in your life, To forgive, and be kind, and to grow from your strife
And to be your best self and to think your best thoughts And to even unlearn some of what you’ve been taught
So we’re here in this room - Vortex 235 Effervescent with life like the bees in a hive
Move your feet, raise your heart, start your quest, you can fly. Always ask lots of questions, digging down to your why.
We shall travel together the path that’s before, Happy school year to all - great adventures in store!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Feedback for learning (from students)

I have learned more from my students about being a teacher, and how to be a better teacher, than I have ever learned from an administrator’s observation. Formal and informal feedback is as critical to me as a learner as it is to them. I have started to go through some of the feedback students shared on the last day this year, now that I have a couple weeks distance. The other day I jotted down a note to the effect that in teaching, we cultivate the tone of the class from the very first day. That’s why I gave up the first day standards of going over the course overview and covering the rules and regulations. The movie Dead Poets Society came out in the beginning of my teaching career (so maybe I should have realized this sooner). I remember being so taken with the scene of the students’ first day with Mr. Keating (Robin Williams). They walk away from that class thinking he is weird, and they’re not quite sure what to make of the class, but they are engaged. I try to achieve so...
Read more

My summer note-writing project

As the days of June roll into July, and I have had a minute to breathe after the close of school, I sit down and write a short note to each of my graduated seniors. It’s something I started a bunch of years ago, then stopped for some reason I don’t remember (most likely laziness) But I resurrected the practice about 8 or 10 years ago. I try to finish my note-writing project by the middle of July - time to have a bit of perspective on the school year, but before they leave for college. I congratulate them on their graduation, and I thank them for all of the hard work they put into AP English, and all the contributions they made to our learning community throughout our time together. I include something memorable that they leave as a legacy to the spirit of our classroom. And I remind them that they have a fine set of tools to help them make their way in the world. Basically, I want them to know that their voice has been valued, and their presence has mattered. I hope that they have...
Read more