I’m still adjusting to getting up early, cooler mornings, and the rapid pace of the school day. There is no time to slow down. I run until I’m exhausted, but there must be a better way. My younger colleagues look to me for sage advice. How do I put work/life balance into practice? My answer: very haphazardly. I sporadically start my days with meditation, yoga, and a mid-morning cup of tea alone in my cozy office. But in reality, an endless, growing to-do list keeps me frantically trying to check things off, feeling more and more like Sisyphus. One day that giant boulder is sure to crush me, and I cannot let that happen!
Category: Champions
Strengthening School Community
The beginning of school is tricky to navigate for both students and teachers, and for students with a learning difference, moving through a new school day can be stressful. I keep that top of mind when I interact with children. I stop, pause, and listen to them. I troubleshoot problems with them. I encourage them to take risks and keep on going.
Connection: Only One You!
Now, while I may not work with all of them directly, I do make sure I know their names and find out a little bit about each one of them. This means that my brain is on overdrive in September, and I have to remind myself to slow down and really connect – connect with faculty, students, and their parents. This means meeting with faculty and parents to discuss the best support paths for many students. This also means connecting with students. I spend the first few weeks of school inviting myself into classrooms, reacquainting myself with our students and getting to know new ones.
Empowering Girls Through Poetry
This week, the girls and I return to poetry for a respite. We are still revising our fantasy stories, but needed a little spark of energy. Since the school where I teach is a school for girls, in fact it is the oldest girls’ school in New Jersey, I am keenly aware of the need for raising confident and resilient girls.
Sparking Vivid Language and Poetry with Visual Prompts
Because students often struggle to create vivid imagery out of thin air, they frequently fall back on clichés or stare blankly at a white page. However, using a concrete visual prompt, such as a photograph of a girl splashing under a backyard sprinkler, can instantly unlock their imagination. This image helps student to tap into their own memories, stretch their vocabulary, and express themselves through poetry.
Finding Fútbol and Fireworks
I have never been a sports fan, not really. There was a time in high school when I cheered on our football team on Friday nights. And I was an avid basketball fan for a short time in college, but I am not the type to tailgate and have a team to follow, whether that be football, baseball, basketball, or hockey. However, this summer changed all that. At first, I wasn’t even sure what FIFA was and thought soccer was something kids played in the park. A few short weeks in June and July, and I’m now an avid fútbol fan.
Revolutionary Spirit: Poet, Phillis Wheatley
This week, as we look forward to the 250th birthday of America, I want to reflect on an unlikely Revolutionary heroine, Phillis Wheatley. Her history is remarkable. Born in West Africa in 1753, she was brought on a slave ship, The Phillis, for which she was named. She was sold to the Wheatley family of Boston, who raised and educated her. Phillis learned English, Latin, and Greek and wrote her first poem at the age of fourteen. She published a collection of poetry called Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral in 1773, making her the first enslaved person to publish a book.
Poetry: A Journey Through Grief and Joy
When he asks me what I’ve been up to, I rattle something about putting my attention to poetry this summer. And Henry says, “I don’t know who said it, but someone said, poetry is like someone running at you with a knife in a dark hallway.” That stopped me in my tracks. He was right. Good poetry stuns, surprises with sharp clarity. It is an idea I will take with me this summer, as I turn my attention from teaching to writing.
The Road to Summer
My mind has been on high alert, making yet another “to-do” list. However, a springtime cold slowed me down this week and forced me to sit, sleep, and wonder. June snuck up on me; all of a sudden it arrived. With only two more weeks of school ahead of me, I’m looking forward to getting outside into the air, the green, the blue of nature. I am thirsting for time on my own to roam the woods and shorelines from Maine to Miami. Most of my colleagues and our student body are also weary of indoor school days and are anticipating the freedom that June brings: our own pace, our own activities, our own adventures. This sense of freedom is part of the school cycle that I have been part of since I was four years old.
Unlocking Creativity: Building Book Spine Poetry
This month, my dear friend, colleague, and school librarian, Deborah, invited me into her 4th and 5th-grade classes to mix library and poetry skills. I thought Book Spine Poetry would be the best vehicle for this foray into found poetry. For those of you who may be unfamiliar with the term, book spine poetry is a form of found poetry where the poet takes another person's words (in this case, book titles) and forms their own poem. The beauty of book spine poetry is that it is a low-stakes way to introduce poetry writing. The poet becomes an editor of sorts, a connoisseur of the best titles that fit together to form a clever poetic message.
