Teacher Reflections: Mel Glenn

Teaching Retired Teachers

By Mel Glenn

It is reputed that Kurt Vonnegut once said, “When I grew up I realized all adults, male or female, are emotionally 14.” After teaching two groups of retired teachers in my United Federation of Teachers classes on poetry and creative writing, I question his assumption.

True, classroom management is still important to provide an atmosphere where my retirees can see what they really think by writing poetry and prose. This is not to say that I have the same discipline problems that sometimes used to threaten the sanctity of my classroom when I taught high school. But I have run into a few challenges. I have had to institute MOTH rules (NPR) that no reading goes over 10 minutes. I’ve actually had to bring in a timer and they like it! The pieces read often inspire intense debate and I have to referee who speaks next. I try to make sure that everyone has a chance to speak and read. For what I have found, in teaching both high school students and retired teachers, is the need to be heard. As Linda says in Death of a Salesman, “Attention, attention must be paid.”

Like with all teacher/writers, I am in the same boat. When I write my own poems I am as vulnerable and insecure as any other member of my class. I am aware of my own need for attention, so it gives me insight into the needs of my retirees, urging me to be as open and receptive as possible. Criticism is given, albeit gently.

The need to be recognized and acknowledged is universal. I try to make my students, whatever their age, feel safe and secure; what is written and said in the room stays in the room. If I can provide the right environment, there is practically nothing that can’t be revealed or written about, (within limits, of course). Death, loneliness, childhood memories, nature, relationships – indeed anything under the sun is a subject that can be explored.

This is the way I run my poetry classes: For the first hour, I bring in poems I love. We have done poems by Dickinson, Millay, Frost, Collins and Nye. I present my class with “poetry packets” and we analyze structure and meaning. I love it when there are different interpretations of the same poem. In the second hour I ask them to bring in a poem they like, or perhaps one they have written themselves. So magical have been their efforts that often laughter and/or tears have shaken the classroom.

In the creative writing class I follow a similar plan. For the first hour I use “starters,” prompts like,

“A king comes to your door and…” or “Your pet can suddenly speak. What does he say?” I then ask for volunteers to read their continuations. In the second hour, people sign up to read pieces they have worked on at home. (I sometimes give homework!) The variety is staggering – from murder mysteries to lost love, to fear of growing old to memories of being young. The range of subjects astonishes me. As a bonus, the best pieces are published in a year-end magazine published by the union.

Within us all there is a need to reveal and connect, to ward off the terrible feelings that somehow we are the only ones with such thoughts and sentiments. It appears that the more vulnerable the writing, the more commonality the experience. We are not alone.

Again, it is my job to ensure a nurturing environment where people can write from their hearts. And they do. As I always tell them, “Writing is like therapy – only cheaper.”

It is not only my job, but my joy to teach. I get as much as I give, pure satisfaction in watching them bloom. I feel like a proud parent when I help my retired teachers find their own voices. They may not be emotionally 14, but they undoubtedly need to be heard and recognized.

Mel Glenn retired from the New York City public school system in 2001, after teaching 34 years of high school English. He now devotes his time to reading, writing and speaking across the country in conferences and schools. Mel’s poem, “A Teacher’s Contract,” and his reflection on Edgar Lee Master’s poem, “George Gray” are in Teaching with Heart.

He is also the author of Brooklyn Diner and Other Places (2015). Author PhilipTheibert writes, “Like Studs Terkel, Mr. Glenn has captured the closeness and density of what is essentially human nature. Lost souls, heartbreak, and triumph fill small spaces, diners and the pages of this book.” Mel has also written 12 books for young adults, including Jump Ball, Split Image, and Who Killed Mr. Chippendale? which was nominated for the Edgar Allen Poe Mystery Award. For more on Mel and his work, check out his website: http://www.melglenn.com/