At dusk, the lines in my empty classroom begin to blur.
Sharpened pencils sit tips up ready for young people
to link traces of their heart to lined white paper.
Summer’s recipe for cracking wide that reading gap
is forgiven as September’s essentials start piling in:
bulletin boards, journals, and a teacher who dares
to break through fences that separate students
exposing the chains that bind and connect us.
A rose is a rose, and stories change lives.
Operator me, must hook kids into books
and link up discussions between readers
feeding a muse they haven’t yet met.
We build a scaffold for story connected and pulled,
written without fear of judgment or grade
written simply for the joy of linking hearts
to words on page.
Brenda Warren 2012
School starts Wednesday, and I’ve been readying my classroom and my spirit. It will be a great year.
Visit The Sunday Whirl.
undercaws 
Great poem. I wish you plenty of good luck for the new year. But admit it, there’s always one student, you wish you could whack along the head with a book 😉
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I teach college students and this feels very similar. Translating excitement and educating at the same time. Loved how you pulled the words together. “And stories change lives.” Loved that. Good luck with your first day. 🙂
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September is filled with memories of teaching years ago. Your poem called all of that back so well and so vividly. Thank you. The poem shows the obvious love you hold for the job.
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Thank you for reading my work and sharing your impressions, Carol.
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Yes the return to school you evoke a great picture Brenda, hope it all goes off well
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You evoked that certain atmosphere that all teachers sense at the start of a year.
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I hope so…thank you!
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Me too…. I think it will, I think it will.
😉
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I love your wordle. You did an amazing job with the words. I loved going to school and could hardly wait for new pencils and binders with lined paper in them. I always wanted to fill up the pages with words.
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Me too, thanks Cheryl!
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A fine goal and adventure! I’m sure the students are hugely enriched by your enthusiasm and talent.
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Thank you, Sue.
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Ah, you teach junior high school, the toughest to teach, and kids with issues, though maybe they are more rewarding to teach then the regular junior high school kids.
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While I didn’t struggle academically, my impulse control was (and often still is) almost non-existent. My relationship with the prinicipal was strong, but built on visits to his office for disrupting classes. LoL He still liked me, and I knew it. Every student needs someone who they believe likes them. I can relate to my students…and I LIKE them. And yes, it is extremely rewarding when I can reach them.
Thank you for your support of my work, and my real life job, too. I appreciate you, Willow. 🙂
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What lucky students you have. I had asked are you eager for the new school year to begin? Obviously you are a true teacher and definitely eager. I think they are blessed to have a poet for a teacher, but also blessed in general, from your poem. Not only a wonderful teacher but a wonderful poet, and a wonderful poem, and you care to enlighten them.
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Hallelujah – an anthem for returning to school from another unsung hero, a teacher who loves what she’s doing … I can’t tell you strongly enough how much I admire what you do, how thrilled I am that you love your job and say so … your students are winners before they begin … a lovely poem brenda.
http://seingrahamsays.wordpress.com/2012/08/26/shifting-colours/
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Thank you, Sharon. Your kindness speaks to my heart. I appreciate it.
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I love that you are a teacher! I have been amazed at the amount of people to whom I’m drawn turn out to be teachers. I retired seven years ago; my last years were spent in first grade. I retired still loving what I did. What grade do you teach?
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Thank you for your kindness, Norma. I teach 7th and 8th grade students who struggle with reading. My job is to close the gap between them and their grade level peers. It’s not easy, but it is so rewarding. My school is on the right track. I’m proud to work where I do. Please do join us i writing at The Sunday Whirl. We’d love to have you along for the journey.
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What a perfect portrait of that pause before the school year begins. I love the repetition of the word “link” in this context – its really what teaching and learning is all about — linking, connecting. I especially loved “link traces of their heart to lined white paper.”
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Wishing you well as you start a new year! I especially liked this line: “chains that bind and connect us.” Great image and nice write.
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Thanks Nan!
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Blessings and good luck as you begin another school year! I have great admiration for all teachers. Your job is so important: preparing the young people of today to guide the world tomorrow. Your last stanza is spectacular:
“We build a scaffold for story connected and pulled,
written without fear of judgment or grade
written simply for the joy of linking hearts
to words on page.”
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Thanks for your blessing and wishes of luck, Marianne, and your impressions of my work. The “busy”ness of the year will come crashing down soon.. 🙂
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PS: Almost forgot. I love the new banner, an incredible symbol of the freedom that writing brings.
Elizabeth
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🙂
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This whole piece was a song aimed at my heart and soul. There is nothing better than when one sees that light go on and end in story. Story is the medicine for soul. You make me want to be back in the classroom, turning on those lightbulbs, and hearing that eager swish of pen on paper. Thank you dear Brenda and bless you for the light you offer all of us,
Elizabeth
http://soulsmusic.wordpress.com/2012/08/26/loosely-knit/
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Thank you for your continued kindness, Elizabeth. I do love it when those lightbulbs spark!
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Brenda, this is lovely. I especially like the last four lines of this, you have said what I have always felt . Your children are quite fortunate to have such a dedicated teacher. You rock! 🙂
Pamela
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Thank you, Pamela. I hope your year with children goes (is going) well. If we can get them to write freely, the academic writing isn’t so hard to pull out of them. LoL (in a perfect world?…)
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I like this a lot. The poem holds up on its own easily apart from the wordle words — I forgot all about them while I was reading. Good luck with your class this year!
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Thank you, Annette. It should be a great year.
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I agree with you on the graffiti. I don’t like the gang stuff but, they ought to have places where these street artists can paint without being arrested. It is true art after all. 🙂
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The excitement of a new school year with a returning group – wonderful. My DIL starts tomorrow, she teaches 4th grade. Definitely an Operator ‘Extraordinaire’ – Indeed we are in general to be lucky to have teachers who love their jobs. Through online – I met a gent who teaches in overseas – he introduce the short poetic form of Elfje (Dutch 11 word verse) to his class and got some of his quiet students to ‘open-up’. It is those little spark moments that really make a difference.
You were my inspiration double this week…
http://julesgemsandstuff.blogspot.com/2012/08/sw-71-how-to-serve-man-11-b-10.html
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Absolutely, Jules. Teacher me lives for “those little spark moments.”
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I chuckled at the idea of teacher as an ‘operator,’ but it IS true. A teacher must do a lot of operating behind the scenes and in front of them to keep kids interested and in tow. Definitely important to break through those fences that separate students & hopefully to help each child meet his muse. A fine write here, Brenda. Have a good school year.
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Thank you, Mary, I appreciate your impressions. It’s a big “hopefully,” but several of my students should have “aha” experiences as writers this year. Last year laid the ground work…this year they might manipulate those phrases and clauses more naturally….generalizing into their free writes. Thanks for your wishes for a good year. I have high hopes and expectations this year.
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Ahhhh, the first day of school. I remember I always wanted to wear something new, something darker, and warm, although where I came from the first day of school, could have been the hottest day of the year. The excitment of learning!
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Me too, Annell! New clothes, fresh notebooks, old friends…. I always loved it when school started. I still do. ha!
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I love this, Brenda. This time of year I still get excited like I did when teaching. I think it never leaves you, the thrill of a new year. I hope it’s a great one. Thanks for Friday night. I had a blast!
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Me too, Laurie, even if it did have you seeing double, and triggered ADHD in all of the participants. LOL I appreciate your comments, and your wishes for the upcoming year. Thanks.
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Loving “At dusk, the lines in my empty classroom begin to blur.” Blessings as you share “the muse they have not met.” And thank you for continuing to share your talents with all of us here on the Sunday Whirl.
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Thank you, Teri, for your kind words, and for writing with us week after week. It was fun seeing you at The Whirl party, too! 🙂 I’m glad you could make it, even on your walk. What a strange world, eh?!
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🙂
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Oh, I love that you’re so happy and that you love what you do…teachers like you are who made the difference when I was there. Thank you…
That aside this stanza:
“Operator me, must hook kids into books
and link up discussions between readers
feeding a muse they haven’t yet met.”
held the epitome for me!!
Great wordling!!
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Thanks Hannah! Yup…I’d say that’s the epitome. This piece is about free writing. Of all of the writing my students do, their free writing is the most fun to read. And this year, I’m starting with kids I had last year, so the trust is already built. Oh boy, do they tell good stories!
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Oh, man…that was one of my favorite classes!! They are so lucky to have you!! Excellent!
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Without you teachers, where would this world be. I always thought that maybe I might have been a good history teacher but, who knows. Chloe (my 16 y/o) has decided that is what she wishes to be. I’ll do anything to help make it happen. Always thought that teaching kids, when they ‘get’ what you are trying to convey and the light comes on must seem like a bit of magic to the teacher who sees that they haven’t just passed on necessary knowledge but, have shared the magic in that bond between the teaching and the learning. Magic!
Loved this Brenda!
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Go Chloe!! Teaching is definitely an art. This will be my 10th year in the classroom, and I finally feel like I’ve got a bit of a handle on the “art” part of it. I do love the middle school beast. LoL
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I love this. I can really feel the classroom and the anticipation. and the love teachers must have of their work and their subject .
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Thank you for reading my work and leaving your impressions, Veronic.
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A very lyrical introduction to the new school year, Brenda. Beautiful writing.
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Thank you, Irene.
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I am sure you are a wonderful educator the children are fortunate to have one that cares so deeply.:)
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Thank you Len. I do love my job. 🙂
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