Once I Was on a Committee

Reflections on teaching, Slice of Life

This slice is part of 
of the March Slice of Life Challenge on  Two Writing Teachers! #sol25. I’m slicing every day in March. Thanks for stopping by!

Once I was on a committee. We met a lot.

These were the old days. So, sometimes our meetings were in huge conference rooms at the Ramada. Sometimes we met in an old room of an old building that was once a school, and now is, I don’t know – nothing?

We met in big groups, we met in smaller groups. We unpacked standards and literally cut them up to tape them on big posters to help us understand what they meant. We created big umbrella understandings and essential questions. We learned so much. We learned about the standards, about understanding by design, about learning, about curriculum, about teaching, about collaboration…

We didn’t always agree. We even argued. I mean sometimes it got intense.

Have you ever been in a room full of teachers who are passionate about their craft?

Oh, we spoke our minds.

Out loud.

Out loud.

At the end of the year an administrator came to our classrooms in all our different buildings and thanked us in front of our students for taking the time to serve the district, even though it meant writing sub plans, and being out of our classroom. Our students clapped for us.

Then the next year, and for something like a decade more, we met, we worked, we disagreed, we learned. I used to joke that we were really practicing the speaking and listening standards that we were unpacking.

You might laugh at me, but once, in the old days, I was on a committee. We met a lot. We spoke our minds. We learned so much.

A little slice of empathy

Reflections on teaching, Slice of Life

This slice is part of 
of the March Slice of Life Challenge on  Two Writing Teachers! #sol25. I’m slicing every day in March. Thanks for stopping by!

The other day we were listening to two books for March Book Madness. One of them was called “The Book that Almost Rhymed,” and my students looked at me excitedly.

“You are going to LOVE this!” One of my kids told me, brightly smiling.

See, my kids know that I love rhyming. In fact, they think I might be the world’s best rhymer. (Shhh… it’s okay if they keep thinking that. I’m fine with that. . . ) They cheer for me when they hear any rhymes. This actually makes sense, because I do like to collect fun rhymes.

By “collect,” I mean I like to smile or laugh, repeat the rhyme a few times, and then accidentally forget it forever more.

We started to get ready to listen to the book, and we heard the title again, “The Book that Almost Rhymed,”

That same bright smiling student shook her head with empathy. She looked at me and said, “I wish it would — for you Ms. Gabriel.”

It Started with a Hug.

Family, Slice of Life

This slice is part of 
of the March Slice of Life Challenge on  Two Writing Teachers! #sol25. I’m slicing every day in March. Thanks for stopping by!

“So this all started with a hug,” the doctor said just a couple of hours ago.

I laughed and said maybe I’d write a story called that: “It started with a hug.”

I had just told him that my 18 year old had lifted me in a bear hug on Sunday, and I had been in excruciating pain since an hour after that.

Before that, I had told the x-ray technicians the story.
Before that, I had told the LPN the story.
Before that, I had told the RN the story.
Before that, I had told my chiropractor the story. He popped my rib back in place, told me to ice it every hour, and to come back on Friday.

Way before that I had told my son, “If I have to go to the doctor because of this and tell them this embarrassing story I’m going to be very upset.”

The respiratory specialist getting my EKG ready actually loved the story. She said her brother still lifts up her mom all the time. We laughed about how teenagers are either ignoring you, or hugging you until you break.

The LPN said, “Well, you’re still young. When you are elderly, that will definitely crack a rib. It’s why we don’t like to perform CPR on the elderly. They say they want all of the things, but…”

Speaking of quotable quotes, the doctor said to me, very seriously, “I’m going to turn my brain off for this one, and just pretend it doesn’t make sense that you chest hurts after that hug. I mean, how strong is your son, do you think you have multiple fractures or something? It’s probably just some discomfort, but we’ll just do the full chest pain protocol.”

I couldn’t let it slide, so I smiled sweetly and said, “Oh good. That’s just what I like my doctors to say about their brains.”

Good news! My ribs aren’t cracked, I don’t have random pneumonia, and my heart was not attacking. It was an annoying 4 hours at the hospital, but at least I know that this is most likely just a muscle strain, taking its time to heal. Oh, and also the hospital has a stronger NSAID than advil, so I think that’s helping too.

Not so good news. . . I’m not sure the doctor will ever turn his brain back on.

What If?

Slice of Life

This slice is part of 
of the March Slice of Life Challenge on  Two Writing Teachers! #sol25. I’m slicing every day in March. Thanks for stopping by!

What if instead of writing I just
Checked and edited my progress reports?
Made sure my plans are solid for the rest of the week?
Did the dishes?
Did my laundry?
Watched more Gilmore Girls?
Read my book?
Stared into space for a bit?
Went to bed?
What if?
What.
If.

Spring Break Reset

poetry, Reflections on teaching, Slice of Life

This slice is part of 
of the March Slice of Life Challenge on  Two Writing Teachers! #sol25. I’m slicing every day in March. Thanks for stopping by!

We went back from spring break today.
It was also a two-hour delay.
As I’m learning, breaks from school make us forget.
Procedures need reviewed,
we need a routine reset.
I get it, I do.
I need a reset too.

But, even though I’m not
surprised
it’s hard not to
roll my eyes.
Like, can I be more blunt?
A line is where someone’s behind you,
and
someone’s in front

I’m sure you will agree
There’s not that many good reasons
to interrupt me
and please, in general
pick a better time
a non direction-giving time
to sharpen your pencil.

I’m glad you are done, or
think you are done
(or are wondering what you are supposed to do)
or need some one on one.
I know waiting is tough,
you’ve had enough.
I get, I do.
I need a reset too.

Fib Fun! How Fantastic.

poetry, Slice of Life

This slice is part of 
of the March Slice of Life Challenge on  Two Writing Teachers! #sol25. I’m slicing every day in March. Thanks for stopping by!

Alright. Let’s try some Fibonacci Poems – or “Fibs” as they are called here.

I’ve decided to write my Fibs as fibs. For a little extra fun.

Fib Fun! How Fantastic.

Spring
Break
is done
tomorrow
We had long enough
No need for any more resting

****

My
dog’s
barking
brings me peace
In his sudden noise
I find inner quiet so well

***

One
Small
untruth
is just fine
Nobody needs trust
Stop glazing authenticity

Saturday Confessions or something

Family, Reflections on teaching, Slice of Life

This slice is part of 
of the March Slice of Life Challenge on  Two Writing Teachers! #sol25. I’m slicing every day in March. Thanks for stopping by!

Another person asked me today, “How long until you can retire?”
So basically now I have a complex.
I mean, I’m using the under eye cream my daughter gave me for Christmas, so what’s going on, folks?

I drove by my old street today and told my dog, “Hey! That’s where I used to live when I was a kid, right there.”
I pointed and he turned his head to look out of the window.
Totally normal, nothing to see here.

Somehow today I didn’t do any school work. None! This should feel relaxing, but it turns out… not so much.
I guess it doesn’t matter how much you work during Spring Break, you still won’t feel ready for school to start again.

Today my son flew back from Spain, he’s on his way from JFK right now so I am playing a little game called “How much TV can I watch to pass the time?”
In other news, there are never enough Thin Mint cookies, and it doesn’t really matter how many you buy.

More spring break please: Some poems

poetry, Reflections on teaching, Slice of Life

This slice is part of 
of the March Slice of Life Challenge on  Two Writing Teachers! #sol25. I’m slicing every day in March. Thanks for stopping by!

More Spring Break, Please: A Limerick

There once was a teacher at home
For spring break she did not roam
She did a few chores instead
watched Gilmore Girls and read
”Just one more week!” she pled.

A Teacher on Break: A Clerihew

A teacher on break
Has so much at stake
There’s only one week to fill
So instead of chores, she chills!

Short Spring Break: A Than-Bauk

I did not know
Break was so short
But, oh! It was

Last day: A Monostich

this day, this Friday, is the last day before the two day weekend, then school.

Poetry form ideas from here.

A Gaggle Perhaps?

poetry, Slice of Life

This slice is part of 
of the March Slice of Life Challenge on  Two Writing Teachers! #sol25. I’m slicing every day in March. Thanks for stopping by!

Today I happened upon a large group of leaf blowers
like actual men, with leaf blowers on their backs
It was a huge pack
I don’t know if that’s what you call a large group of leaf blowers
a pack
so I look up different
collective nouns for animals
and I wonder what this group would be called

to help decide you must picture this
large group of men, with leaf blowers on their backs
clouds of decomposed leaf dust surrounding them
leaking into the street even
with the leaves not yet wrangled there in the street too
they barely slowed when I drove by
and I wondered if they would just blow the brown dust all over my car
or in it
or perhaps blow my van away
it was a very large group of leaf blowing men, so I don’t now how much power that many leaf blowers have!

I’m not sure if pack is the right term for this group
maybe
a parade, like elephants or
a flight, like insects
a school, like dolphins
Let’s remember they were singularly focused, and on my brief driving by encounter,
I did not encounter
much consideration

so maybe
a band, like gorillas
a conspiracy, like lemurs or
an army, like ants makes the most sense
certainly not
a parliament, like owls or
a charm, like finches

They startled my landscape so
I wanted to snap a picture of the gang, like elk, of these
leaf blowers
but by the time I drove by again
they had disappeared, as if never there
as if I had imagined them
like a leap of leopards
a skulk of foxes
a murder of crows
a scurry of squirrels
a deceit of lapwings
and all they left was a large pile of dead leaves and twigs
in their wake