teaching

How to Haiku

I was teaching my sixth-grade students a mini-lesson on writing Haiku. 5-7-5 syllabic pattern. Nature. I considered it a review lesson since we wrote some last year, so I was surprised at all their questions.

“How many syllables in ‘miles’?” One.

“Does it have to be about nature?” Yes.

“Please, can we write about something besides nature?” I envision 33 Haikus about flowers. Ugh.

“OK, I’ll open it up to include whatever is happening in your lives. But remember, Haiku is about the now. Write about what is in front of you.” They give me blank stares but begin writing. They submit them to me, eagerly awaiting approval. Many beautiful poems about spring land on my desk. And then this one:

Presents

A student made this for me a long time ago.

I mentioned that I love to roller skate. I don’t even remember telling my students that about myself. Teaching is demanding and the parts that I don’t enjoy: “paperwork/grading,” meetings, and (now) wearing a mask while talking all day and handling parent frustrations with online work…are growing.

We just went on break. I intend to refresh. Reflect. Re-energize. I love my job. I have the rest of the year to be better.

But of Course…

IMG-7171

I agreed to be the sponsor for several sixth-grade boys who wanted to start an investment club at school. They run it and I am just the certified teacher in the room to monitor them.

During the first meeting, one of them told the audience of three kids (ages 11, 12 and 13):

“So a long-term stock is like a short-term stock, but it’s not short-term. Hence the name.”