Monday, April 30, 2012

April Mosaics



APRIL MOSAIC

The sky above
a yellow glove

Two observe
mushrooms curve

Long spikey
slow slippery

25 spot
3 cake pops

Bee in the window is dead
Cat in the window turns head

Tree in bloom
Vast amounts of room


River has meanders
Table has treasures


Cake plate view
(coins from 1892)

Sugar bowl twinkles
Cut glass crinkles

Flow Blue plate
Butter dish weight

Carnival glass shimmers
Tools made many dinners

Shot glass -- small
Pitcher -- tall

Pike's Peaking
Hawk's eating

Stack of three
Plate of cheese

Powell winery
Spring's green finery

Birdhouse gourds hang 
April's gone...dang!

© Mary Lee Hahn, 2012




Poem #30, National Poetry Month, 2012

All 30 poems for this month make a mosaic of their own, a different sort of glimpse into my world -- the poetic version of what I was seeing and doing and thinking about. Here is a link to my 2012 NPM Poems. (My April photo mosaic is on Flickr here.)

In March, the Poetry Tournament at Think Kid, Think! was a watershed moment for me as a writer. I changed my identity from "person who sometimes writes poetry" to Poet. I'm excited to see where this new direction in my writing will lead. I have a brand new PINK writer's notebook to start filling...beginning tomorrow!



Cathy, at Merely Day By Day, is joining me in a poem a day this month. Other daily poem writers include Amy at The Poem Farm, Linda at TeacherDance, Donna at Mainely Write, Laura at Writing the World for Kids (daily haiku), Liz at Liz in Ink (daily haiku), Sara at Read Write Believe (daily haiku), Jone at Deo Writer (daily haiku)...and YOU?




Sunday, April 29, 2012

Chalk-ku



Betsy, at Teaching Young Writers, is having a chalk poetry celebration tomorrow to cap off National Poetry Month. Write a poem, chalk it up, take a picture, and send it to Betsy!

Poem #29, National Poetry Month, 2012

Cathy, at Merely Day By Day, is joining me in a poem a day this month. Other daily poem writers include Amy at The Poem Farm, Linda at TeacherDance, Donna at Mainely Write, Laura at Writing the World for Kids (daily haiku), Liz at Liz in Ink (daily haiku), Sara at Read Write Believe (daily haiku), Jone at Deo Writer (daily haiku)...and YOU?

Saturday, April 28, 2012

Attitude Adjustment

Le's Flaming Poo Poo Platter


ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT

Turns out
I didn't need the Venti Awake Tea
from Starbucks after all.
All I needed
was for Lynne Rossetto Kasper to say

Flaming Poo Poo Platter.

I laughed until I cried.
When I
caught my breath and
mopped my eyes
I no longer had a headache.

© Mary Lee Hahn, 2012



Poem #28, National Poetry Month, 2012

On Saturday afternoons, as we drive here and there running errands and buying groceries, we listen to Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me and The Splendid Table (with Lynne Rossetto Kasper) and Toss the Feathers (a local Celtic music program on our NPR station).

I was in a headache-y funk this afternoon. It's been a hard couple of weeks, topped by running the Keep-A-Balloon-In-The-Air-For-A-Minute game at our school carnival last night from 6:00-8:30 (with one 15 minute break).

I'll be forever grateful to Lynne Rossetto Kasper for saying

Flaming Poo Poo Platter

in the course of her show. The extended belly laugh that resulted turned my mood right around. Now all I have to do is say to myself

Flaming Poo Poo Platter

and I grin.




Cathy, at Merely Day By Day, is joining me in a poem a day this month. Other daily poem writers include Amy at The Poem Farm, Linda at TeacherDance, Donna at Mainely Write, Laura at Writing the World for Kids (daily haiku), Liz at Liz in Ink (daily haiku), Sara at Read Write Believe (daily haiku), Jone at Deo Writer (daily haiku)...and YOU?

Flaming Poo Poo Platter

Friday, April 27, 2012

WISE INVESTMENT


I have never said this to you, but you were one of my inspirations in my life. You invested in me so much in fourth and fifth grade. I used to never talk outside of my house, but today, I want to be a confident person, confident in what I am saying and teaching. So, thank you for your investment.

Investment.
That’s what teaching is.
We invest in the future
and then lose the receipt
when we send students on
to the next grade
or the next level.

We rarely know what our shaping
of each of these lives
will result in.
But we are certain,
absolutely certain,
that each and every one of them
is worth the investment.

© Mary Lee Hahn, 2012




Poem #27, National Poetry Month, 2012




Cathy, at Merely Day By Day, is joining me in a poem a day this month. Other daily poem writers include Amy at The Poem Farm, Linda at TeacherDance, Donna at Mainely Write, Laura at Writing the World for Kids (daily haiku), Liz at Liz in Ink (daily haiku), Sara at Read Write Believe (daily haiku), Jone at Deo Writer (daily haiku)...and YOU?

Thursday, April 26, 2012

POETRY READING



POETRY READING

I am listening
to the poet George Bilgere
and imagining my first poetry reading,
someday in the unknown future.

I, too, will walk right up to people
at the wine and cookies reception.
I will introduce myself
as the guest of honor and ask them
about their interest in poetry.

The first poem I read
will be the one about the lucky day
when I started a new roll of toilet paper
in two different public restrooms.

That was a day that started with
strong tea
and ended with
salty French onion soup and
a perfect
strawberry
tart.

Just before the onion soup on that lucky day,
I listened
to the poet George Bilgere
and imagined my first poetry reading,
someday in the unknown future.


© Mary Lee Hahn, 2012




Poem #26, National Poetry Month, 2012


Art imitates life.







Tabatha has the Poetry Friday roundup this week at The Opposite of Indifference.

Cathy, at Merely Day By Day, is joining me in a poem a day this month. Other daily poem writers include Amy at The Poem Farm, Linda at TeacherDance, Donna at Mainely Write, Laura at Writing the World for Kids (daily haiku), Liz at Liz in Ink (daily haiku), Sara at Read Write Believe (daily haiku), Jone at Deo Writer (daily haiku)...and YOU?

Faith: Five Religions and What They Share




Faith: Five Religions and What They Share
by Dr. Richard Steckel and Michele Steckel
Kids Can Press, 2012
review copy provided by the publisher

I'm always on the lookout for books in which my many-shades-of-whitetanbrown students from the U.S.-Mexico-Bangladesh-Jordan-Iraq-Somalia-China can find themselves.

This is one.

Illustrated lavishly with photographs of children around the world, the topics of faith, religion, the Golden Rule, religious leaders, worship, and prayer are explained with clear and unbiased language. This is a book that teaches about religion. It is not a book that tries to change the religious beliefs of the reader.

The table of contents helps the reader find information efficiently, and there is a glossary, an index, and a note to parents and teachers ("Ideas to promote tolerance and understanding") in the back.

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Area, Perimeter, Volume -- a math poem



AREA, PERIMETER, VOLUME

Gardens and fences
and new tile floors,
towers of blocks
and a bulletin board border.

Perimeter says "RIM"
and area is flat,
volume takes space...
I know all of that,

but keeping them straight
in my head is a problem:
square? cubic? units?
perimeter? area? volume?

Some day I'll grow up
and need carpet and tile,
frame art and fill boxes...
THEN this will be worthwhile!

© Mary Lee Hahn, 2012




Poem #25, National Poetry Month, 2012


Area and perimeter are SO hard for fourth graders to keep straight!




Cathy, at Merely Day By Day, is joining me in a poem a day this month. Other daily poem writers include Amy at The Poem Farm, Linda at TeacherDance, Donna at Mainely Write, Laura at Writing the World for Kids (daily haiku), Liz at Liz in Ink (daily haiku), Sara at Read Write Believe (daily haiku), Jone at Deo Writer (daily haiku)...and YOU?



unBEElievables



unBEElievables: honeybee poems and paintings
by Douglas Florian
Beach Lane Books, 2012

Douglas Florian does it again! A perfect trifecta of illustrations and poems and just enough information on every page.

I wish I would have had this book to show my student as a mentor text when they were writing their weather poems and including science information on the page with each poem.

Here's a favorite:

BEE ANATOMY

Lovely legs,
Lovely hue.
Lovely long
Antennae, too.
Lovely eyes,
Lovely wings.
But ouch!
How in the end
It stings!

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Cause and Effect -- a poem


CAUSE AND EFFECT

Someone stole
my teacher.
They took my
favorite one.

She helped me 
patiently,
she was cheerful
and great fun.

She's replaced 
by a big
meany who is
giving me more work.

Do you think
this could have happened
'cause the class just went
berserk?

© Mary Lee Hahn, 2012


Poem #24, National Poetry Month, 2012

It was one of those days...



Cathy, at Merely Day By Day, is joining me in a poem a day this month. Other daily poem writers include Amy at The Poem Farm, Linda at TeacherDance, Donna at Mainely Write, Laura at Writing the World for Kids (daily haiku), Liz at Liz in Ink (daily haiku), Sara at Read Write Believe (daily haiku), Jone at Deo Writer (daily haiku)...and YOU?


Slice of Life: What We Want for Our Students

Last week, I had the opportunity to go to Washington D.C. for some NCTE work and meetings. It was a good few days but one highlight stands out. During NCTE's Advocacy Day, I went into one of my congressman's office to meet with the congressman and his education policy aide.  I had scheduled the appointment a while ago. I am always a little frazzled when I am in DC--the buildings confuse me and I am always worried I'll be late. But I was early to this appointment, so I was waiting for my meeting after checking in at his office.  As I was waiting, a young woman walked out and said, "Mrs. Sibberson, Hi! You were my 4th grade teacher!" Of course I recognized her the minute she said, "Mrs. Sibberson." She had seen my name on the schedule and was excited to come out and say hi before my appointment.  I was soooooo happy to see her and to spend a few minutes hearing about her work and her life.  I hadn't seen her for years and it was so fun to see her all grown up, happy, and doing work she loved.


Over the past few years, I have run into several former students. I started teaching 1st grade 25 years ago so those 6 year olds are now about 31 years old!  Lots of my past students are in their twenties.  Every so often I bump into a student or get invited to a graduation party and visit with lots of past students and families  It is always such fun.  I have to say, the first few times I saw these amazing people all grown up, I felt a little old (actually, a lot old).   After all, I remember these kids dressed in Osh-Kosh overalls and it doesn't seem like that long ago that they lost their first teeth. To see them all grown up made me feel a little bit old at first. But only for a few seconds because the fun of seeing them now makes being a little old so worth it! 

It is a gift to run into a past student and catch up with how life is for him/her now.  I actually teach with a few past students and I love that I get to keep up a bit with their lives when I run into them at meetings, etc.  I ran into a few former students last year at a graduation party. And I've run into a few who have recently started jobs they love. I run into students planning weddings and students who are new parents.  I remember running into one student who had just discovered a passion for social work while another had discovered that she loved robotics.  I was able to see a few of my students in a high school musical last year and the talent was amazing.  One student has gone back to school to become a nurse and another student I ran into shared photos of her toddler son.  Last month, I ran into a student who not only filled me in on her own life, but on the lives of all of her friends that she knew I'd want to know about.  It was fun to hear about all they were doing, but even more fun to know that the kids in that class were still such close friends years later. 

Running into these students is always an important reminder of my role as an elementary teacher.  I want my students to learn at that level that they have lots of choices about what to do with their lives. I want them to know what is possible and to find work that they love and live a life that they love. I want them to be happy. I am realistic enough to realize that most adults won't remember much about their elementary years. They'll remember a few highlights, certainly, but maybe not the day-to-day events of the school years. What they will remember is the feeling of being part of an elementary school and part of a classroom community. I want that feeling they remember to be one of joy and possibility. I want them to spend those formative years of their lives knowing that anything is possible and I want them to realize that  learning and thinking with others is an amazing way to spend your time.

Seeing former students reminds me what it is that is important in my work with students.  I am reminded that before I know it, these little children dressed in Osh Kosh and with missing front teeth,will be all grown up.   This month, which is testing month for so many of us, is a great time for this reminder.  Of course I want my students to pass these tests. But I want so much more for them than that.

Tests!