‘Twas the night before school starts
And all through my mind
Was a voice that kept saying,
“Relax, you’ll be fine”
Then came another saying,
“What about this?”
I began to fret
About things I had missed
Would my lesson be perfect?
Would they like me okay?
Would there be far too many…
Or would I scare them away?
Then through the din and all of the chatter
I began to refocus on the things that most mattered
Community building
Shared goals galore
Young, bright open minds
Who could ask for much more?
Upon my face, a spontaneous smile
At the weeks to come and the work in piles
Representing reflection, coveted growth
Representing those things that mattered the most
I summed up my courage and bid summer adieu
To return to my calling, to learning anew
So welcome dear students
My partners you are
On this wondrous adventure
To reach for the stars.
“so welcome dear students
my partners you are”
Indeed, the heart of every successful classroom is a learning partnership. It starts with a mindset.
Written with compassion for the busy teacher and reverence for the magic of the learning process we are privileged to partake of daily. It is the very light that draws us to our “calling” as you aptly write, each year wiser, each year willing to embark on a quest for the stars….together.
I loved it your beautiful poem and shared it on twitter.
Thank you so much, Deborah! We are so fortunate to be in partnership with our students, ever teaching and learning 🙂
Thanks for this. I start tomorrow. I enjoyed your poem very much. It made me smile.
I’m so glad! I hope you have a wonderful first day tomorrow!