No Clear “Quitting Time”

--a composite list poem written by the K-16 teachers in the Great Valley Writing Project. Compiled/Shaped/Constructed by Stephanie Paterson

*A snapshot of teachers' lives after hours, inspired by Mike Rose's 5.16.11 blog.

After school,

I buy notebooks for students;

take pictures at the Winter Formal;

go to a school play;

watch a student race in his track event;

purchase pizza for the yearbook kids;

have lunch with former students;

write letters of recommendation;

see students’ entries at the Ag show at the Fair;

watch a student compete in her first auto race;

and create a backpack full of supplies,

a secret surprise for a student who needs it.

After school, I respond to student writing,

tutor students,

and do research.

I call every parent in the first weeks of school to introduce myself (roughly 150 students);

I meet with concerned and unconcerned parents;

I buy book after book of new teen literature to provide my students

with a wide array of books to read.

I spend the night with students for a community service project called Kids in a Box;

run a 7th and 8th grade girl’s book club;

serve as a club adviser for The Writer’s Guild.

I arrange field trips,

contact parents, create and revise my curriculum,

and plan and organize more fundraising events.

Each year, during my Spring Break, I go to Washington, D.C. with the 8th graders.

I give money to a student so he can afford college necessities;

donate to the wrestling team;

keep in contact.

I print 4x6 photographs of students performing Hamlet in costume;

arrange wall bulletin boards to show off student work;

make Portuguese sweet bread with my students;

attend a sober grad fundraiser;

and purchase a t-shirt to support the cause.

I supervise yearbook and the advertising that goes with it;

write recommendations for club officers;

attend sporting and dance recitals for former and current students and

for the last two weeks of the school year,

I offer a homeless student a ride to school.

I organize a pre-post school-wide writing assessment;

participate in staff vs. student fundraisers; and

read adolescent lit. to add to my “tool kit.”

I help students write personal statements for college applications;

organize a book drive for our school library;

listen to other teachers and when asked, offer suggestions.

After hours, I make copies, enter grades, write more letters of recommendation.

I tutor students one-to-one in writing conferences before and after school;

haunt used bookstores looking for books to fill my classroom library;

send books to my former (fantastic) student now in prison (a life sentence for a gang-related murder).

I play on the faculty basketball team;

attend pizza fundraisers and students’ dance shows;

spend the weekend in the school photo lab with my two kids

so I can meet the yearbook deadline; and

I set up a reward for a student who struggles and when she improves,

stage a celebration.

After hours, I read books on English Language Arts;

read The English Companion (a Ning for English teachers);

plan lessons;

read and respond to more student papers; and

look for engaging information to supplement district adopted materials.

I take a group of twenty kids on a college tour, a two day trip;

host a pool party for my AVID kids;

attend basketball games; and

open my home for student book group discussions.

Sometimes I drive kids home when their parents can’t or won’t.

Sometimes I dream about angry, violent students who have threatened me.

I attend a student’s church play;

and orchestra performances.

I sponsor girl’s volleyball and pay admission to encourage a good turnout.

I buy new clothes for a student after her house burns down.

I make lunches for students who have no lunch.

I edit articles for Write Voice, the Great Valley Writing Project’s Newsletter;

submit articles to California English.

I write.

Some days I think small acts of attending mean the world;

other days it is harder to tell.

One thing is for sure:

in a teacher's life, there is no clear quitting time.

6.17.11

References

Fagin, Larry. The List Poem: A Guide to Teaching & Writing Catalog Verse. New York, New York: Teachers & Writers Collaborative. 1991, 2000.

Mike Rose's Blog: http://mikerosebooks.blogspot.com/