Today I'd like to share my favorite lines from Not Waving but Drowning by Stevie Smith:
I was much further out than you thought
And not waving but drowning.
During the first six weeks of school, it feels like water we're "swimming" in gets deeper and deeper. I'm hoping that this week the water has been the deepest and the waves have been the highest and now both Franki and I are on our way back to shore. Parent conferences are half done. Interims go out today. We have completed all of our fall assessments (math, reading, spelling) and the database has been turned in.
Deep cleansing breath in...deep cleansing breath out...
(Poetry Friday is being hosted by Two Writing Teachers this week.)
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Such powerful lines.
ReplyDeleteI remember a film, many years ago, in which Glenda Jackson played Stevie Smith. I'll have to look for it again.
My husband is a high school teacher ... and I homeschool our kids ... we know the feeling. :-)
This is exactly how I felt this week. Been out too many times this week to meetings. I skipped last night's as last weekend finally caught up to me. Sleep, wonderful sleep.
ReplyDeleteI love that poem, too, and those lines. So appropriate for what has been a busy week!
ReplyDeleteWaving at you. You're waving back, right? Deep breath, and swim...
ReplyDeleteGreat teachers like you are NOT allowed to drown. No way.
ReplyDeleteThis reminds me of how my kids were taught to swim the crawl stroke: arm, arm, flip over on your back and breath. Arm, arm, flip over and breath. So what would that be for teachers? Work, work, day off, work, work, day off?
Here's hoping your weekend rejuvenates you & next week is a breath of fresh air. :)
ReplyDeleteMary Lee-
ReplyDeleteThe first six weeks is the toughest, right? I forgot about how much less time I have to blog. I miss it and plan to catch up a bit this weekend!
Enjoyed the poem.
Sometimes it's really hard to tell the difference isn't it? Waving, drowning, waving, drowning...
ReplyDeleteJust keep swimming, just keep swimming, just keep swimming...
Glad you're breaking through the surface of all the school craziness. Now swim to shore and wave hello to us.
ReplyDeleteThis is the Friday of intense poems. Wow.