I do love teaching.
I mean the actual moment when a student is drawn in,
A connection made
A question forms
When the hand shoots up
Or they can’t even wait to be called on.
That moment.
Or when the ideas flow
And they build on each other
When they feel the freedom of poetry
Or the elegance of a balanced equation
Pride in their work.
Some days those moments happen.
Sometimes they’re smothered in the
Chaos that is Thirteen
Their emotions swinging wide
Their family stress taking its toll
Their hormones ganging up on them
Their bodies aching from stretching bones
Feeling the weight of the world for the first time.
It’s all woven together, the good and the bad
Can’t have one without the other.
And here it is, May.
I’m longing for summer break
At least as much as the kids,
And the truth is
I’m going to miss them.
Next year will bring a new batch.
And on those days when chaos has won,
I will come back to this poem,
And remind myself why I chose this path.