Poetry Friday -- Don't Forget to Wear a Helmet

photo via Unsplash

Don't Forget to Wear a Helmet

We're there.

Top of the ramp,

crest of the rollercoaster's lift hill,

poised to commit to -- submit to -- the will

of gravity.

Let go.

Fly and fall

with stomach-dropping fear.

Lean into curves, anticipate apogees.

Transform possibility into reality.

©Mary Lee Hahn, 2020

This poem was inspired by Seth Godin's post today, Drop In. I especially liked this line, "The worse you can do is half."

Laura has this week's Poetry Friday roundup at Writing the World for Kids.

Poetry Friday--Reprise

As seen/passed around on FaceBook

THUG

All summer it's been cool
but just in time for school
the heat comes back,
like a big muggy bully.

One afternoon, regardless of the math lesson,
the air conditioning goes out.
Just up and leaves.
Walks out of the room without permission,

leaving the door open
for the bully to swagger in,
disrupt the lesson,
and make us sweat ourselves.

©Mary Lee Hahn, 2013


Luckily, only the part about the return of the heat is true. (knock wood) We have not lost air conditioning and we are grateful every day for it!

EDITED TO ADD: Got to school this morning...NO AIR-CONDITIONING! ARGHHH!! 

EDITED AGAIN TO ADD: It came back on just after the students arrived. We were cool again by mid morning. YAY!!

Kay has the Poetry Friday Roundup this week at A Journey Through the Pages.

Poetry Friday -- Beginning...again

Photo by Mary Lee Hahn

A Teacher Turns the Calendar Page From July to August

It's the same feeling you get

just after you've nudged the sled 

over the shoulder 

of the hill.

Movement becomes momentum

and quickly shifts 

to catapulting and careening.

You relinquish control

and hold on 

for the ride.

©Mary Lee Hahn, 2013

Next week is the official start of school in our district -- teachers on Monday, students on Wednesday.

And so we begin...again.

Julianne has the roundup at To Read To Write To Be.

Shark vs. Train by Chris Barton and Tom Lichtenheld

Shark vs. Train

by Chris Barton and Tom Lichtenheld

Little, Brown and Company, 2010

Competition has been a big problem in my classroom this year. For a few of the kids, it's always a race to the door when they're called to line up, with no tolerance for someone getting their place back in line once the order is set. The drama of the soccer field at lunch recess lasts well into the afternoon, and both Connect 4 and Battleship were put away during indoor recess season because of constant (loud) bickering about who won or whose turn it was to play. Grades on papers are not seen as a reflection of one's hard work and progress in learning, rather they are numbers with which to "verse" one another.

Sigh.

I'm adding Shark vs. Train to my stack of beginning-of-the-year books so that we can start the year next year with a conversation about how ridiculous competition can be. (Yes, crazy me -- four days left and I'm thinking about next year already!!)

The set-up to the story is two little boys (sorry, guys, but yes, it's mostly your problem...) diving into a toy box and coming up with a shark and a train. The two toys go head-to-head in some situations where the winner is obvious -- in the ocean or on railroad tracks -- not so obvious -- roasting marshmallows or eating pies -- or downright tricky -- playing hide-and-seek or trying not to get shushed in the library.

In this book, the escalated competition is preempted by a call to lunch. Hopefully, in my classroom next year, it can be preempted by a humorous look at competition from the first day.

BONUS EXTRAS:

How the book came to be -- a peek behind the scenes by editor Alvina Ling at Blue Rose Girls.

7-Imp's chat with the author and illustrator.

Chris Barton's blog.

Tom Lichtenheld's blog.

Poetry Friday

Poetry tastes like

chocolate.

--Ryan, age 8

photo by eszter

TASTES LIKE CHOCOLATE: Thoughts From Young People is a collection of poetry written by the students of teacher Randi Allison over the course of the past twenty+ years. "Tastes Like Chocolate is a collection filled with delectable moments of joyous wonder that melt and linger, dark musings of loss with a bitter aftertaste of longing, and simple insights filled with gooey luscious surprises." Here's a sample:

We are the children of

the world.

We have voices that

express,

ears that listen,

eyes that blaze.

We are the future.

You are the adults of

the world.

You pave the road of

life for us.

You are our view of the

world.

(the rest of the poem is here, when you click on "...a taste")

--Jennifer, age 12

The round up this week is at Book Aunt.

If you want to host the round up in the future, let Kelly know at Big A little a.

First Day!

When I got home from school yesterday, still floating on the cloud of first day-ness, my next door neighbor asked me how long it would take me to get back into the swing of things. (She obviously didn't notice that I was floating...)

It took me less than 5 minutes, I told her. All I had to do was meet my class.

Teachers are jugglers. The balls and plates and swords and bowling balls and pins are in the air from the very first moment the children step into your line and become your class. We simply cannot afford to "get into the swing of things" later on in the week or the year.

It's such a blessing to be doing the work I was born to do. Let the fun begin!

Back to School -- Missing Mama

Llama Llama Misses Mama

by Anna Dewdney

Penguin Young Readers Group, 2009

review copy provided by the publisher

"Llama Llama, warm in bed,

Wakey wakey, sleepyhead!

Llama school begins today!

Time to learn and time to play!"

When Mama Llama leaves Llama Llama on his very first day of school, he is suddenly very shy and doesn't want to play, or read, or even eat a snack. The promise by the teacher that Mama WILL come back, and the invitations of the other Llama children to come play are all it takes to break him out of his shell. Mama does indeed come back and Llama Llama realizes he loves Mama AND school.

This is a great book for any reader who might be feeling a little anxious about the first day of school!

Setting Up My Desk Area

This is stop-action animation, NOT a video project. We shot about 100 still photos to make this movie!

A big thanks to A.J., my photographer for this project. (He's channeling Ray Harryhausen, whose stop-action animation for Jason and the Argonauts is "still the best.")

The next time I do a stop-action video, I will make sure we shoot at least twice as many photos. I can't wait to show this to my students and to give them a chance to try it, too -- it's quite fun!!

Poetry Friday -- Back to School

Best wishes for a fabulous school year!

Promises

by Angela Maiers

Dear Teacher,

Love me,

Make me feel special,

Make me feel included,

Make me feel valued,

Smile for me,

Tell me that you're happy to see me,

Tell me that you're happy to teach me,

Tell me that you're happy I am here.

Involve me,

Tell me about our work together

Tell me how I can be of help and mean it genuinely

Notice me,

See all of me,

See my emotions, my laughter my curiosity, my anticipation

See my right, and I will work on the "wrongs"

(the rest of the poem is here)

The round up this week is at a wrung sponge.

* * * * * * * * * *

In the spirit of full disclosure, I must reveal that I did not create the TextFlow of the Emily Dickinson poem that I shared last week for Poetry Friday. I found it, right there with her poem, on the Poets.org site. Look here for all of the poems on their site that are animated with TextFlow. And yes, if you are so inclined, you will someday be able to try it for yourself.

Back to School Fears

I'M SCARED TO BE STARTING SCHOOL!
Garmann's Summer
by Stian Hole
first published in Norway by J.W. Cappelens Forlag, 2006
Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, 2008
review copy compliments of the publisher

This is not your typical happy-happy joy-joy, don't-be-afraid
everything-will-turn-out-fine kind of book. Garmann works on his fears the way your tongue goes to the sore spot where you bit the inside of your lip. He asks his ancient aunts, his father, and his mother about their fears. He delivers deep, deep lines like, "If you can't remember anything, you have nothing to be scared of."

You may not decide to share this book with children after you read it. But if you are sending kids of any age off to school, or if you will be on the receiving end, you need to read this book to remember how scary the beginning of the school year can be.

Another blog review: Fuse #8


WHAT IF I OVERSLEEP?!?

Late for School
by Stephanie Calmenson
illustrations by Sachiko Yoshikawa
Lerner Publishing Group (Carolrhoda Books), 2008

Here's one that's perfect for the youngest readers. Mr. Bungles wakes up late one day, and realizes that he might be late for school. "Oh, no! I'm the teacher/and it's my rule/to never, ever, ever be late for school!" After the first two pages, which get the reader acquainted with the rhyme scheme, every double page spread sets up a rhyme for the type of transportation Mr. Bungles will use, but the rhyming word is on the next spread. Perfect for making predictions, especially when you start looking closely at the picture clues. (There is also a clock on every spread, ticking closer and closer to 9:00.) For example: "Where is my shoe?/It can't be far./I found it! I'm dressed./Now I'll hop in my..."

No happy ending in this one, either. Mr. Bungles is late for school. You'll have to read to find out how he changes his...


I'M AFRAID MY NEW TEACHER WILL BE MEAN!

I Know an Old Teacher
by Anne Bowen
pictures by Stephen Gammell
Lerner Publishing Group (Carolrhoda Books), 2008
review copy compliments of the publisher

Here's a great addition to your "I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly" variant collection.

Miss Bindley takes the class pets home over the long weekend and promises her class she'll take good care of them. Unbeknownst to her, the students are peeking in her window and they see her eat a flea, a spider, a fish, rat, snake, and lizard. She has her limits, though. "I know an old teacher who swallowed a child. 'Swallow a child?' the old teacher smiled...'I would never do that!' "

Finally, a happy ending!

Getting Ready for School

Thinking about what to use for your first read-alouds? Here are some of my favorite picture book read-alouds for the beginning of the year.

Not sure where to even start with your back-to-school thinking? Katie, at Creative Literacy, has a dynamite shortlist.

Need a new analogy for your resistance of high-stakes testing? Look no further than Abby's thinking at Authentic Learner.

Happy New Year!

In homes all around our school community, parents are asking students, "How was your first day of school? Do you like your teacher?"

In fewer homes scattered throughout the school community and beyond, spouses are asking the teachers, "How was your first day of school? Did you get a good class this year?"

It's good to be back. It's good to quit trying to pretend I can really be ready for a group of strangers and just go for it. Just jump in the water, no matter how shocking the temperature or the current, and start stroking hard and sure for the island in the middle.