I Am a Teacher

Posted on June 22, 2013 by ivonprefontaine

A student gave me this poem Thursday. The Alberta Teachers Association published it in their monthly newspaper recently. Susan Holland, a retiring teacher, wrote it. Is there such a thing as a retiring teacher?

The poem encapsulates many of my current feelings and points to the impact we have on children and families. The gesture of giving me the poem is deeply meaningful and I am grateful to receive and share it.

I Am a Teacher

You are my children.

We triumph together when you master cursive.

We struggle through long division.

I wipe away your tears when something bruises you elbow

Or someone bruises your heart.

You read to me—I read to you.

We laugh over silly jokes or stories.

I introduce you to new words—

You refresh me with new perspectives.

I wasn’t there when you were born.

I don’t tuck you in at night …

Or dance at your wedding.

But, you are my children.

And as June draws to a close

I grow melancholy.

You will move on and I will stay behind to start again.

And as the years pass you blend, merge, and mingle—

Warp and weft intertwined into my universal child.

I am a teacher.

You are the fabric of my life.

 

30 Comments

Posted in Education, Mindful Life, Poetry, Reflective Moments, Sabbath and tagged , , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.
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About ivonprefontaine

In keeping with bell hooks and Noam Chomsky, I consider myself a public and dissident intellectual. Part of my work is to move beyond (transcend) institutional dogmas that bind me to defend freedom, raising my voice to be heard on behalf of those who seek equity and justice in all their forms. I completed my PhD in Philosophy of Leadership Studies at Gonzaga University, Spokane, WA. My dissertation and research was how teachers experience becoming teachers and their role as leaders. I focus on leading, communicating, and innovating in organizations. This includes mindfuful servant-leadership, World Cafe events, Appreciative Inquiry, and expressing one's self through creativity. I offer retreats, workshops, and presentations that can be tailored to your organzations specific needs. I published peer reviewed articles about schools as learning organizations, currere as an ethical pursuit, and hope as an essential element of adult eductaion. I published three poems and am currently preparing my poetry to publish as an anthology of poetry. I present on mindful leadership, servant leadership, schools as learning organizations, how teachers experience becoming teachers, assessement, and critical thinking. I facilitate mindfulness, hospitality retreats. and World Cafe Events using Appreciative Inquiry. I am writing and researching about various forms of leadership, how teachers inform and form their identity as a particular teacher, schools as learning organizations, hope, nonviolence and its anticipatory relationship with the future, as essential elements to teaching and learning. Academic publications can be found at Ivon Gile Prefontaine on ResearchGate

30 responses »

  1. busymindthinking's avatar busymindthinking | June 22, 2013 at 11:32 pm

    Beautifully written and so very true! Teaching encompasses so much emotion. Blessings on your work. Smiles

    Reply
  3. jloaded's avatar codedjeannie | June 23, 2013 at 12:15 am

    Wonderful! 🙂

    Reply
  4. Amy's avatar Amy | June 23, 2013 at 1:03 am

    “…..You are the fabric of my life” — Beautiful poem!

    Reply
  5. Vicki's avatar Vicki (from Victoria A Photography) | June 23, 2013 at 2:43 am

    Lovely poem.

    Reply
  6. reocochran's avatar reocochran | June 23, 2013 at 2:49 am

    Wow! Great tribute to a teacher, I really liked this and it is a little sad when you say goodbye to fifth graders going on to middle school or 8th graders going on to high school. But the nice thing about other grades, you get to see their growth and development before they move on.

    Reply
  9. Alex Jones's avatar Alex Jones | June 23, 2013 at 10:58 am

    Your legacy is how you have helped shape young minds that will live on long beyond your own life in many of them.

    Reply
  10. Maurice A. Barry's avatar Maurice A. Barry | June 23, 2013 at 12:53 pm

    It’s not possible to turn it off, even if you wanted to. The thing is to find new ways to channel it :>)

    Reply
  11. Bette A. Stevens's avatar Bette A. Stevens | June 23, 2013 at 10:40 pm

    What a lovely and touching poem… A special teacher and lots of lucky children!

    Reply
  12. crunchedd's avatar ed | June 24, 2013 at 5:11 am

    I think that truly reflects the values of a teacher…I have a lot of teachers in my family. But the problem seems to arise, when everyone they meet, they think is their student! 😀

    Reply
  13. Ajaytao2010's avatar Ajaytao2010 | June 24, 2013 at 10:20 pm

    I Nominate you for Bouquet of Super Awards – 27 Nominations

    please choose any 5 awards out of the 27
    accept it and oblige

    there are no linkbacks for this award

    http://ajaytao2010.wordpress.com/2013/06/24/bouquet-of-super-awards-27-nominations/

    Reply

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