poem about education – michael jarmer

#427: A Poem from Whitman’s “I Hear America Singing” on April 21, 2022

I hear the American High Schoolsinging, the varied carols I hear: students sing their waydown the hallways andinto classrooms, where, sometimes, they stop singing, quiet, headsdown, depressed or exhausted–other timesthe singing never ceasesand their verses and chorusespercolate and resonate througheach 87 minute period.I hear the teachers sing their teaching voices, singing their lessonsunceasingly, tirelessly, musteringContinue reading “#427: A Poem from Whitman’s “I Hear America Singing” on April 21, 2022″

#179: A “Workable” Solution

Today the English Department got together to figure out how to relieve a colleague of a student load of 217. That’s all I really have to say. The fact alone is enough. One of our colleagues was assigned 217 students. The obvious solution, hiring another teacher, is apparently out of the question. A school is given soContinue reading “#179: A “Workable” Solution”

#113: The Child House

The Child House is so called because the children in this building outnumber the adults about thirty-seven to one. Inside over a thousand big children are busy (or not) at some purpose which often remains mysterious to them, but never- theless is perceived by many to be of some importance. Many of the kids love theContinue reading “#113: The Child House”

#77: What I’m Doing While My Students Are Taking Standardized Tests

I’m writing poetry, of course. Early in the semester, I’ve got no grading to do and I’m unusually planned for the upcoming unit. My students are taking a standardized writing test for which they choose one dumb prompt from four dumb prompts in each of the four and only four dumb categories of writing thatContinue reading “#77: What I’m Doing While My Students Are Taking Standardized Tests”