This slice is part of the Slice of Life on Two Writing Teachers! #sol24. I’m slicing on as many Tuesdays as I can. I hope you’ll join me.
I first tried this format here, originally from Ethical ELA: A True or False List Poem . . . There are some things that are true, there are some things that are false, and you’ll never really know!
Today I
accidentally cried a lot threw 92 starfish into the ocean one by one wore a t-shirt that said “When I’m not sad or mad, I’m ok.” wrote 3 slices of life laughed at two terrible pictures of myself flooded a classroom with sink water said the word butt to first and second graders at least 20 times got armloads of gifts drank 104 ounces of water walked 10,793 steps took a picture with one of my students from my first year teaching found out my high school social studies teacher died this week watched 3 episodes of ER with my daughter taught second-grade
This slice is part of the Slice of Life on Two Writing Teachers! #sol24. I’m slicing on Tuesdays. I hope you’ll join me
I want to tell you about this little boy today.
He was trying to explain why he was going to throw away his art project, how his picture had gotten ruined. As he explained it to his teacher, his face got shakier, his eyes filled with tears. He had accidentally pushed someone, the crumpling of his paper was the retaliation. He was convinced that there was nothing left to do but throw the paper away.
I tried to see what was wrong with his picture, but his face was more crumpled than the page.
His teacher listened intently and then said,
“It sounds like this is really upsetting for you. I can help you figure this out. Why don’t you go put your stuff on your desk and then –
I can help you with this. It will be okay.”
He gave his picture to his teacher turned to walk back into his classroom, nodding and sniffing, tried to pull himself together.
His teacher and I spun so kids couldn’t see our faces Both pointing to our own eyes, filled with tears now tried to pull ourselves together too.
“I don’t know if I can do this teaching thing afterall,” I said.
I mean, how will my heart take it?
She nodded her head and we looked at the barely crumpled picture for a moment.
“The picture is fine though, right?” I asked
She gave it a once over, nodded, flattened the page a little extra, took a deep breath and walked into her classroom where I know she helped one crumpled boy
This slice is part of the Slice of Life on Two Writing Teachers! #sol24. I’m slicing on Tuesdays. I hope you’ll join me
I want to make a point, or at least an analogy so I close my eyes what story could I tell from today from 10 years ago from second grade?
Or rather what story could I share because I have plenty to tell that email that conversation that canceled meeting
Today we cried about a drink carrier it was the one from our first coffees in our first home
Endings are beginnings and all that jazz so why do I hear The Doors This is the end Beautiful Friend The end?
In other news, I watched a Kindergarten class cheer for a friend after he read good Job! they said we love you! and I thought to myself wow kids really get how to take care of each other
This slice is part of the Slice of Life on Two Writing Teachers! #sol24. I’m slicing on Tuesdays. I hope you’ll join me!
Are You Supposed to Like, Write?
wait are you supposed to write when you’re like angry? I forget sometimes weird, since it’s been so many times, asking for you to read between the lines
should I speak frankly? or wait until I’m less cranky? like if I feel I don’t know like betrayed (not the affair charade) being played while others watch the masquerade there’s disquiet should I be quiet?
should I button my lips wait for the bag of tricks to pass? what if like the person who wronged me reads what I write about them? then they’d know what they like did what I condemn what then?
This slice is part of the Slice of Life on Two Writing Teachers! #sol24. I’m slicing on Tuesdays. I hope you’ll join me!
This morning my son went to get us Starbucks’s. I mean, he drove. I paid. That’s how things work around here. “Should I order on my phone or yours?” He said, like some sort of master negotiator
When he got back he was sorry to be late he had seen a bear cross the street, tried to follow it a bit, lost sight as it sauntered into the trees by the bus stop.
“I guess. . . Make a lot of noise when you go to the bus,” I said because we are not afraid of bears here I mean, it’s not like a man was running towards the bus stop
I left my Starbucks refresher for later carried my dry laundry upstairs thought about how I should have taken the dog’s barks more seriously last night instead of telling him okay, yelling at him to chill out about the neighbor’s cat oops
After my shower I proudly started to put my clothes away in the closet like I imagine real grown-ups do in the morning before school before school! I imagine those real grown-ups might not scream for their 17 year old when a creepy crawly bazillion leg bug crawls out of the pants they are about to fold But I did I screamed then told myself I can do this I can do this I can do this I don’t need a husband Who probably wouldn’t have helped anyway I can catch this thing in something something something I need something I turned to find that something something something there must be something on my dresser
I’m not a bug squasher, not a bug killer I’m more catch and release less murder
But when I turned back around the bug was gone – he will never know how nice I was going to be but now, I thought… I’ll write it, even though I don’t want to That bug had to be somewhere in my bed I yelled for my son to come help me again “Bring a vacuum or we have to sell our house!”
I tried to carefully shake the blankets my dog looked at me confused my cat ran under the bed my son warned me to be careful! you might touch it! it’s going to jump out of there! I didn’t get far in my quest it was time to go to school
So later I will decide Strip the bed, vacuum, look in every cranny or sleep on the couch?
Lucky for me help must be on the way because after school I found not the bug but the boys’ wanted poster they must have made before catching the bus HAVE YOU SEEN THIS BUG? LAST SEEN: MOM’S PANTS So although it may be true that apparently we are more scared of bugs than bears here we also know how to laugh in the face of fear and make clever wanted posters
It’s April, and I’ve been writing poetry …all month! Thanks to Ethical ELA for all the great prompts and inspirations!
What happens when you try a triolet? Do your words come out the way you hoped? Can you write or does your brain betray? What happens when you try a triolet? Will all the rhyming words be in disarray? Your readers might think you have joked What happens when you try a triolet? Do your words come out the way you hoped?
April’s almost over, then it will be May Ends of things are coming much too soon The way things are, they cannot stay April’s almost over, then it will be May I talk a lot, but there’s so much I will not say Thankful for time to breathe when we break in June April’s almost over, then it will be May Ends of things are coming much too soon
Decisions are made Around you? By you? You don’t know You won’t say
I wonder, are you a master manipulator Or just a clueless pawn In this sleazy game where the Emperor has no clothes?
I’ve already learned this Lesson, been burned before by letting jerks Manipulate the truth Said I’d never do that again
Said I’d listen to my instincts And here we are With you in charge At a quiet standstill The idiots are winning
I have sarcastic things to say Questions I want to ask For instance, did you know Not only does he not have clothes, But that isn’t the Emperor anyway?
This verse is not for you It’s for your teacher Stop Talking.
I’m looking for poetry challenges. Scott on Ethical ELA asked us to create a short poem that could live on the walls of his classroom. I don’t know Scott, but I know that this is a sign I need on my classroom wall — a reminder to stop all my teacher talk, and let the students do more talking.
On a Thought 