This morning, I went on Lynn Ungar’s Facebook page to find a poem she posted weeks ago. While I was looking for it, other poems of hers leapt out at me – “In the Moment,” “Badly,” and “A Letter in...
Mary Oliver’s “The Summer Day” is the only poem on my office wall. It was given to me as a gift many years ago. In the many tributes to her, the last lines of the poem are often quoted: Tell...
Today is Mary Oliver’s birthday. Many of her poems grace the pages of our poetry books – Teaching with Heart, Leading from Within, and Teaching with Fire. Mary Oliver is one of the poets most often chosen by teachers to speak...
On this 4th of July, I want to take a moment to recognize the “every day” heroes amongst us. To “celebrate the spirit and courage of the 3.1 million teachers who each and every day, despite many challenges and obstacles, strive...
While Nikki Giovanni’s poem, “Poetry,” came to me recently, it speaks to the oldest part of my teaching soul: the artist I want to be. We often hear that teaching is both a science and an art. I agree. There...
Why #NationalPoetryMonth? Because poetry matters. Why this website? Because what inspires and impassions teachers is worth sharing. Poetry, by slowing us down and focusing our attention, can help us engage in complex truths and potent emotions and yield poignant insights...
Last Friday, we lost Derek Walcott, one of the world’s great poets. It is fitting that we honor him on #WorldPoetryDay. On Friday morning on NPR, I woke to hear Tom Hiddleston reading Walcott’s poem, “Love After Love.” Though I...
Yesterday was Langston Hughes’ birthday (February 1, 1902). In our three poetry books, many teachers and leaders chose to reflect on his powerful poems. This morning, I paged through the books looking for the poem and reflection to post in...
I just recently discovered A Year of Being Here, a wonderful website of “daily mindfulness poetry by wordsmiths of the here & now.” As good projects are wont to do, “a year” became three. While it concluded in January 2016,...
Reflection On Warsan Shire’s “Home” The first time I read even a line of Warsan Shire’s poem, Home, I was captivated by the images it provoked. I had been listening to the stories and watching the videos of refugees fleeing...