Looking for that special something for your back-to-school letter, your bulletin board during back-to-school night or for inspiration throughout the year?

Award-winning poet Mel Glenn created the ultimate back-to-school list for us. Thanks Mel!

From this poem, you can tell that Mel, a retired high school English teacher, gave his all to his students. His dedication is further demonstrated in two entries in Teaching with Heart: his poem “A Teacher’s Contract” and his reflection on “George Gray” by Edgar Lee Masters.  (We’ll be posting these soon.)

A remarkable teacher and author – we’re honored to have him in the book and delighted that he’s written this poem for us/for you. Periodically, we’ll be sharing more of Mel’s poems – and others by prominent poets — on this blog.  So keep checking out the blog and The Poet’s Corner for these gems.

Please feel free use the “Message to Parents” poem in your letters, post it on your bulletin boards, and share it with other teachers.

For more on Mel and his 12 publicly-acclaimed books for young adults check out Mel’s website.

“Message to Parents” by Mel Glenn