June of 2020 – Responding to the prompt: Using William Carlos Williams’ 13 Ways of Looking at Blackbird as your model/frame/template, write a 13 stanza poem offering your 13 ways of looking at your first year of teaching
- Often the student
Learning the most
Is the teacher
Learning their students
- The teacher must
Pay attention
To
How they express
How they decompress
How they learn
How they live
- The teacher must
Not
Take
Their
Words
Personally
- The teacher must
Be
Flexible
Humble
Gentle
Firm
Understanding
A student
- The teacher must
See
Their humanity
Their resilience
Their brilliance
Their words
Their growth
- The teacher must
Name what they see
Celebrate
Victories
Celebrate
Joys
Celebrate
Community
Celebrate
Hard Work
That otherwise may go unseen
- The teacher must
Take care
Of
Themselves
- You cannot put others masks on
If you
Yourself
Can’t breathe
- The teacher must
Ask
For help
For support
For encouragement
For listening ears
For criticism
For a community
- The teacher must
Write
Their way
Through
- The teacher must
Be okay
With not being okay
Somedays
- The teacher must
Be friends
With
Failure
- The teacher must
Celebrate
Their own
Victories
Their joys
Their push through the pains
Their resilience
Their brilliance