Like everyone else in the free world, I adore Fridays. But it is also my longest teaching day. I have one brief thirty minute planning period while my kids are engrossed in Latin. I should be taking this opportunity to escape the classroom, but today we went on a delicious nature walk in the crisp autumn afternoon. That has left me pretty satisfied with staying in and listening to Latin declensions and numerous word ending chants set to the tune of "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star." Well, that and the fact that I'm wearing blue jeans and my Carolina hoodie and I couldn't be happier. God bless our headmaster and his way of thanking the teachers for a first quarter's worth of hard work.
The nature walk was lovely. Seventeen children trailing behind me on a well worn path covered by fallen leaves. And then forty minutes of silence as they observed, wrote, sketched and observed some more. Yes, blissful silence broken only by the sounds of the woods. I wrote a poem. I don't profess to be a poet, but here it is. Be gentle in your critique...
Falling Sounds
Rustle of wind, sound of leaves
brushing against the sky.
Chirp of bird in the nearby branch
pondering the season to come.
Crackle of leaves upon the ground
brushing against the feet
Of the children, who peer among
leaves and trees
Listening for the falling sounds.
I attended a workshop yesterday titled "Multisensory Grammar and Composition." Basically, I learned a new way to teach the parts of speech that's more hands on and literally more colorful. However, within five minutes of my arrival, I had proven why I will always feel a bit like an awkward teenager. Can anyone find the adverb in this sentence? "The careless teacher moved the notebook and clumsily knocked the full, hot cup of coffee all over the table, soaking the other teachers' materials."
"clumsily" is the adverb. Give this English teacher something she can wrestle with, will ya?! :)
ReplyDeleteLove the poem. The chilly, clear beautiful days of autumn do inspire me.