Springtime

Life is short. Make it amazing.  ~Hugh MacLeod 

Springtime

Springtime, and life

returns in a green haze of leafbuds. The seasonal burst of life is

short-

lived, but the surprise of the splashy daffodils will make

it

all the more amazing.

©Mary Lee Hahn, 2018

My Favorite Subject is Science

The miracle is not to fly in the air or to walk on the water, but to walk on the earth.  

~ Chinese Proverb

My Favorite Subject is Science

Photosynthesis is the

miracle

inside plants. Our planet changing from season to season is

not

any less miraculous. And to

learn that planes fly

not because of the engine but in

response to the

lift of the air

under the wings -- amazing! Food chain or

food web – both work elegantly to

balance life in the wild. Walk,

run, stand, sleep: your heart beats on.

The

water

cycle, symbiosis, sound waves – more miracles asking nothing but

that we pay attention to

this walk

we have been given on

the

earth.

©Mary Lee Hahn, 2018

Some process notes about this (crazy) project...

In about mid-March, each of the thirty 5th graders in my class chose a quote from the classroom quote books or the stack of GapingVoid (gapingvoid.com) cartoon-quotes I printed and laminated a few years ago.

Before the end of March, I typed each quote (vertically and right-justified) in its own document.

On the drive from Ohio to Colorado and back during spring break the last week of March, I fiddled around with most of the quotes and wound up with about 10 poems that felt mostly ready. I panicked a bit because I realized that I wouldn't be able to write a poem about each child using the quotes they'd chosen. So I made a sheet with all the names and a brainstorm list of all the topics we've studied so far this year. Whew! There are at least as many topics as students! Some of the poems will wind up being more about the child who chose the quote than others, but all of them taken together will be a record of our year together this year.

In answer to Diane's question from yesterday's comments about how I actually go about drafting the Golden Shovels: As I mentioned, I have the quote written vertically and right-justified. I write into those end words, going for as much enjambment as possible. I am trying to write a poem that's not necessarily on the topic of the quote so that the quote and poem together are a little bit surprising. I think I'll be doing a better job with this in upcoming poems where I won't try to write about the child who gave me the quote. I'll be choosing a quote and writing a poem on a topic from our classroom. Stay tuned. We'll see how that goes! Beyond that, there's lots of staring into space, starting and stopping, retyping the quote again below the first draft and trying another draft (and another), and a nice dose of mystery and magic and surprise!

Keep Your Promises -- this quote came from the child who gave me the 30 days 30 students 30 poems challenge. Seemed only right for him to go first!

Astronomical Passions -- the child who chose this quote aspires to be an astronomer.

Legos -- this original quote was written by a Lego-maniac.

Walt Didn't Say This, But He Would Approve -- my Everything Disney girl wrote this original quote. It was fun to work the Disney-ness in!

100% Authentically ME! -- if you knew this girl, you would understand how perfectly this poem captures her spirit. She beamed when I showed it to her!

My Favorite Subject is Science -- I'm not sure if the guy who chose this quote would agree that science is his favorite subject, but it's definitely a favorite for most students in my class. It's such a perfect age for beginning to learn about the way things work on this beautiful planet (and in this amazing solar system) of ours.

Amy has this week's Poetry Friday Roundup at The Poem Farm.

100% Authentically ME!

Just be who you want to be, not what others want to see.  ~Unknown

100% Authentically ME!

I am me. Perfect just

the way I am. I will not be

someone who

changes the way I look at the world because of what you

say or do. I want

to

always be

the one who tells the truth, not

without a smile, but also not just repeating what

others

say. I want

to be authentic, to

show you all the truths I see.

©Mary Lee Hahn, 2018

Walt Didn't Say This, But He Would Approve

If you have a life, why not live it!  ~Lexie

Walt Didn't Say This, But He Would Approve

If

you

wish upon a star you will have

a

life

filled not with the why

but the why not.

Grab life by the mouse ears and live

it!

©Mary Lee Hahn, 2018

Legos

We are strong as one, but we are stronger together.  ~Brennan

Legos

Like Legos, we

stick together. We are

not just strong,

we are as creative as

the wildest imagination. Like Legos, you start with one

but

you end with something surprising and new. We

really are

stronger

together.

©Mary Lee Hahn, 2018

Astronomical Passions

Invite others to wonder with you.  ~Austin Kleon

Astronomical Passions

Black holes! Galaxies! Space! The Universe will invite

you to be awed and amazed. Find others

with the same astronomical passions to

marvel at, to wonder

about, and to investigate with

you.

©Mary Lee Hahn, 2018

Keep Your Promises

Make your life a masterpiece. Imagine no limitations on what you can be, have, or do.  ~Brian Tracy

Keep Your Promises

I accept your challenge. I will make 

a poem using each of your 

quotes. A snapshot of your life 

in fifth grade, the collection will not be a 

masterpiece 

and I imagine 

no 

one will appreciate the poems as much as you. The limitations 

I have put on 

myself with these poems will show you that what 

you 

challenge yourself to do can 

be 

done. You have 

to keep your promises. There is no either/or: 

do what you said you would do.

©Mary Lee Hahn, 2018

Poetry Month 2018

This year's class -- The Hahn Squad -- loves to find patterns.
They have found patterns in the date
(one of our favorites all year, a Squad Member's birthday, was 3/6/18...3x6=18),
in recurring themes in our read alouds (the desire for invisibility),
and in the lucky coincidence that there are 30 days in April and 30 students in our class.

When the 30 Days, 30 Students, 30 Poems challenge was laid at my feet by an eager and earnest Squad Member, what could I do? I had to accept.

For their part, I asked each of the 30 Squad Members to chose a quote they love. I originally intended to write a personalized Golden Shovel Poem for each student using their quote as the striking line. Although some may turn out to be specific to the student who chose the quote, most will pay tribute to some part of the 2017-2018 5th Grade Hahn Squad experience.

31 Teaching Truths

Photo by Fischer Twins via Unsplash

31. Believe in magic.

Because teaching and learning are magic, aren't they? Building a classroom community from scratch every year; meeting the ever-changing, ever-shifting needs of a diverse group of learners to the very best of your ability day after day; making a kid's day; making a colleague's day; learning to be a better teacher years or decades into your career...it's all magic. And without these strong threads of magic that we weave in our classrooms, the fabric of our nation...of our democracy...would fray and shred and dissolve.

Believe in magic. Don't ever stop. So much depends on the work you do every minute of every day.

31 Teaching Truths

Photo by Fischer Twins via Unsplash

30. Celebrate your spot on your district's seniority list.

When Franki texted me that we have both made it to the front page of our district's seniority list, I had to see for myself. Sure enough, there I am: out of the thousands and thousands of certified teachers in our district, I am #15. And there she is, hired just a year later, about fifteen spots below me.

Today I'm celebrating my rise from the newest hire to one of the most seasoned teachers in the district. I celebrate all the mistakes I've made, all of the successes I've had, and all the students I've taught. Hooray for a career that began with no computers and will end with...I'm not even going to attempt to predict the changes that will continue with lightning speed in the next few years. I'm glad I had a chance to be a Whole Language teacher in the 1980s. I think those years before the intense pressure of standards and testing gave me a foundation in student-centered teaching that has served me (and my students) well. I'm glad I staunchly adhered to my generalist stance all these years. Being a generalist rather than a specialist has allowed me to be a leader in the district in math, language arts, environmental science/outdoor education, and multiage/looping.

If there are thousands of teachers between you and the front page of your district's seniority list, don't despair, and don't focus on all the years it will take you to get to the front page. Take it one class at a time, one big project at a time, one new leadership opportunity at a time, one swing of the education pendulum at a time.