Betsy Potash of Spark Creativity always has wonderful ideas for the classroom. Too often, I don't have the time to sit and read her posts on Instagram, but today she had me at "writing a poem with only one vowel." I could not resist. I continued to read and accepted her challenge. Here is my short poem using only o as a vowel. It perfectly fits my current vibe.
Work non-stop,
drop onto floor -
slow roll to morn.
I would love to see others. I may even come back if I have time to write more.
I thought this was better than writing about the boys' bathroom shenanigans.
I always tend to get the frantic texts from my twenty-year-old daughter during school. Not over the weekend. Not at night. Only when I am teaching.
11:17 a.m. text:
"I think I'm going to need a new phone before summer. This week I've taken out my SIM card 5 times because it keeps breaking. It stopped working a day or 2 ago."
Hmmm....She did not let me know about this over the weekend. I can feel my chest start to tense. I think And what am I supposed to do?
11:19 a.m. response
"You are due for an upgrade, but you will have to go to the AT&T store."
She had all weekend to take care of this, but she decides to wait for Monday morning. I know she wants me to do something. I can see that in the responses she is sending, and then she reveals her motive for texting.
11:21 a.m. text:
"Lily suggested to have the phone send to me."
Meaning I go to AT&T and get the phone for her. BUT, I live 1,100 miles away.
I start taking some really deep breaths. Several of them. I look for an AT&T store near UW-Madison and find one not too far from campus. I send her the address and tell her to take an Uber.
The conversation goes on as she explains that she has to go to the gym and then eat before she can go to the store. She also has a chapter meeting at 5:30. Basically, she is insinuating she does not have a lot of time. She is quite the busy girl.
12:27 p.m. text:
"That's plenty of time right"
Yes, it is! Just go! I want to write this, but I try to keep my frustration out of the texts. It is probably good that her phone does not work and we can't talk.
1:33 p.m. text:
"Going to AT&T now."
The texts continue as she makes her way to the store.
I anticipate a call. I even make a back-up plan with the teacher across the hall to cover for me when it comes. However, it never comes.
2:06 p.m. text:
"Getting it now!!!!"
She is taking some of her first real adult steps with only a little help from mom.
The evenings can be hard for me. Exhausted from the day, I tend to want to snack even though I am not hungry. I sit in front of the television only half watching. I play on my phone, mindlessly scrolling for what can turn into an hour. None of this is healthy or fulfilling.
Last night, I found myself starting to rummage through the pantry for a snack to eat eat. When my husband is away for work, I find sadness creeps in because I am alone and miss my kids even more. That sadness tends to steer me towards sweets and chips.
I stopped and asked myself if I was hungry. I was not. I looked at the black screen of the television and thought about what I wanted to watch. Nothing. I had no desire to turn it on.
Suddenly, I picked up my knitting bag and book and went upstairs. I put some lavender drops in a diffuser, played instrumental ukulele covers on my phone, and sat down in my chair with my knitting.
I continued until I felt my eyes start to get heavy, and then I inspected my work and was relieved to find no errors.
When I climbed into bed, I was content. I put my head on the pillow without tears of sadness, closed my eyes, and feel asleep without any anxious thoughts.
That may have been the beginning of a new nighttime routine.
Thank you, Leigh Anne, for the inspiration and push to try a book spine poem today. I actually went to Leigh Anne's list of book title writing prompts she prepared for the Teach Write Academy.
I cut the titles apart and randomly selected 10 to create the poem.
Thank you to Megan's slice for the inspiration today. I am going to share the 4 corners that surround me for most of the day and bring me so much joy because of all the students that share the space with me.
Top left corner: My classroom library. This is where two books shelves stand filled with bins of books that are worn and tattered from greedy hands. There are more books displayed on top, along with my Harry Potter Legos. I love to sit with students to find a book for them to enjoy.
Top right corner: Metal cabinet. Inside the cabinet, there are word games, escape rooms, Legos, paper brown bags filled with writing inspiration, puzzles, and books. It is a cabinet of goodies for a word nerd!
Back right corner: A file cabinet and book shelf filled with lessons, books, and units. 19 years and 3 grades worth of lesson materials and units are housed within these drawers and upon these shelves. On top are pictures and mementos of years of teaching and a few writing games. In essence, it is the history of my learning and growing as a teacher and learner.
Back left corner: The entrance. There is a community "Where I'm from" poem written by my 8th graders handing on the door and a sign that says "We Can Do Hard Things." I love to greet my students as they come in the door each day.
What are in your four corners?
Betsy Potash of Spark Creativity always has wonderful ideas for the classroom. Too often, I don't have the time to sit and read her po...
