2 Poems, 2 Lessons Learned From Teaching

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Howdy, Campers and Happy Poetry Friday!  The link to PF is below.

Our topic, this orbit around Planet TeachingAuthors, is: Something I learned from teaching or from my students. 

Carmela started us off with Two Things My Students Have Taught Me; Esther followed with My Storied Treasures Treasured Stories! Now it's my turn; what I'm about to share echoes my first post on this blog in 2009. (For info on my up-coming UCLA Extension Writers' Program Picture Book Class, see below)

Two Lessons I've Learned From Teaching:

1) I am a snowflake.

pixabay.com creative commons

I've been teaching in the UCLA Extension Writers' Program since 1999. When I was planning my first class, I was petrified. My mantra was: I am a snowflake. When they are in my class, they will learn my snowflakeness. When they take another class, they will learn that teacher's snowflakeness.

It helped.

FIRST DAY TEACHING
by April Halprin Wayland

You take your seats

looking up

with puppy eyes

wanting me to be

the exact snowflake

you hoped for.

I explain how I drift,

I explain my six sides,

I explain my melting point.

If I am not what you wanted,

not what you expected,

not what you'd hoped for,

there's different snowflake

down the hall

named Bruce.

poem © 2017 April Halprin Wayland. All rights reserved

 * * *
2) Wheels are good.

https://morguefile.com/creative/DuBoix

ON STARTING MY ELEVENTH YEAR OF TEACHING
by April Halprin Wayland

 Years ago I learned to pack

 everything I need for the first day of class

 into a suitcase

 rather than that big plastic box I used to schlep.

 Wheels are so much easier.

 So last night I packed

 the roster,

 my updated syllabus,

 red, blue, green and black dry erase markers,

 clear mailing tape to stick quotations on the walls,

 the book I’ve read aloud in the first class for eleven years,

 and 25 copies of the “tell me about yourself” handout on lavender paper.

 My body is buzzing.

 I am slightly nauseous.

 This happens every year.

 There are no vaccination shots for it

 as I roll this suitcase into a new country
...

 again.

poem © 2017 April Halprin Wayland. All rights reserved

My next class, Writing The Children's Picture Book begins October 3rd. (and if you can't take my on-site class, consider taking UCLA Extension Writers' Program online Picture Book class from author Terry Pierce.)

Thank you, Michelle, for your own poetry and for hosting Poetry Friday at
Today's Little Ditty,

and for promoting the U.N.'s International Day of Peace Day (September 21st)

https://michellehbarnes.blogspot.com/

posted by April Halprin Wayland (with help from Eli, who is also a snowflake)