education

Doors

/ lovizmytrio / Leave a comment

absenteeism
shuffles in a class bully
to begin my day

meeting turned sour
by news of favorite students
choosing other schools

(but i don’t blame them
after my reception here
and structure-less rules)

lunch: a cruel email
brings sixty minutes on hold
all for eight digits

if i had those numbers
for what i should earn each day
this wouldn’t matter

dean’s accusation
ends my locked-door afternoon
loss, theft, and questions

at home, door swings wide
my baby with arms open
smile bright as birth

we draw skating paths
multicolored chalk, sunsets
stress melts into love

IMG_7174

The Cyclist’s Dilemma

/ lovizmytrio / Leave a comment

he will not forgive
shuns me in once warm places
i will not forget

in tears, she begs me
just get them started–i can’t–
grief bursts into halls

all papers graded
i read Spanish in silence
wait for final bell

a windy walk home
trailed by one-car dilemma
my cyclist shines

headlamp, gloves ready
January? my mistress
cycle through my stress

my peace offering:
the book he wanted to read
(he puts me on stage)

humiliate me?
i crave the Spanish smiles
he doesn’t know me

a windy ride home
cold clings to my clothes with hugs
cheeks on girls’ warm cheeks

this brief moment here
is all i’ve seen them today
my cycle spins on

Two Birds… Different Stones

/ lovizmytrio / 1 Comment

i won’t give in here
too early, too adamant
a long semester

they need the structure
in walls unlike those at home
where they’re free as birds

they’ll hate me for it
but learning is needed more
than a text message

but how their wrath wins
with flippant parents’ lose tongues,
lack of discipline

my daily fight ends
with bickering daughters, cries,
skipping yoga class

table talk of love
afterward: apologies,
coloring, and peace

i will give in here
love lies deeper, lasts longer
flies free as a bird

Teaching is a Guest House

/ lovizmytrio / Leave a comment

Modeled after “The Guest House” by Rumi

This teaching is a guest house.
Every morning a new arrival.

A surprise, a sadness, a frustration,
some momentary celebration comes
as an unplanned visitor.

Accept and accommodate them all!
even if they are a crowd of admin
who violently sweep your classroom
empty of its whiteboards,
Still, treat each guest respectfully.
he may be preparing you for
some new adventure.

The homeless student, the refugee, the defiant ones,
meet them at the door with a smile
and let them know they are welcome.

Be grateful for whomever enters,
because each has been sent
to make your life more than
a forgotten promise.

Games

/ lovizmytrio / Leave a comment

he scored seventeen
has a scholarship waiting
asks to leave class now

the minimum score?
twenty-one for survival
thirty-six: perfect

not even halfway
to the level of knowledge
for college-bound kids

but he’ll play football
that’s all that really matters
money, money, greed

meanwhile, i teach kids
who spend hours reading words
that will take them where?

the depth of a poem
the silence of acceptance
knowledge lost in games

Pieceful Peace

/ lovizmytrio / Leave a comment

red-letter day starts
with no meetings, extra plan
and ends with yoga

all baskets empty
week of copies, lesson plans
teacher’s piece of peace

students were pleasant
chess-club-induced quiet house
recharges my soul

soon they’ll bombard me
with high-strung voices of youth
different piece of peace

i’ll take the pieces
fit them into life’s puzzle
each day can bring peace

Twists and Turns

/ lovizmytrio / Leave a comment

silent overturn
of a fragmented first day
shocked apologies

after thirteen years
of hearing broken English
poetry sounds bright

written by freshmen
whose voices i’ll discover
with this twist of fate

Catch Me a Moon

/ lovizmytrio / Leave a comment

before dawn, i walk
full moon of icy danger
to be there for them

/home/wpcom/public_html/wp-content/blogs.dir/80f/11233611/files/2015/01/img_7126.jpg

classroom lit, open
first day, students new to me
i set standards high

phones, backtalk, shouting
first impression resistance
shake me to my core

after school begging
for schedule changes, fallbacks
they hate and love me

i missed my girls’ smiles
their good-morning kisses, hugs
to face this chaos?

slushy post-school walk
to their bright eyes, warm faces
lost in built-up play

/home/wpcom/public_html/wp-content/blogs.dir/80f/11233611/files/2015/01/img_7127.jpg

then, online ranting
plagiarizing grown student
demanding grade change

why you, and not them?
the question of my moon day
please… catch me a moon

make it bright like them
shining beyond snowy morn
lighting, guiding love

Enjoy Them

/ lovizmytrio / Leave a comment

new year, back to work
meetings, trainings, pointless tests
(testing our patience)

no students today
semi-empty corridors
echo their absence

new resolutions
data, observations, goals
flood the teachers’ souls

i walk my mile home
with two six packs; ignore looks
(a friend’s thank-you gift)

girls are jubilant
a day alone with daddy
bright as this sunset:

/home/wpcom/public_html/wp-content/blogs.dir/80f/11233611/files/2015/01/img_7124.jpg

Measures of Success

/ lovizmytrio / Leave a comment

standing room only
crowd hushed for collegiate speech
from a sixth grader

bright academics
the spotlight shines on this school
rainbow of world

social injustice
swept under a brave chorus
strict rules understood

forgotten pencil
equals hour detention?
path drawn to success

unified voices
remedy doubtful choices
good god let them sing

/home/wpcom/public_html/wp-content/blogs.dir/80f/11233611/files/2014/12/img_6781.jpg