Welcome to the Poetry Friday Roundup! (Find our more about Poetry Friday in this post by Renée LaTulippe here.)
Tuesday was the last day of school in my district, and I’ll be honest, I’m exhausted! The good news is that I’ve had two days to rest and relax and get ready to welcome you here today!
For the past two years, our school did not chose a single individual as teacher of the year. Rather, we were all celebrated for our efforts to keep school as normal as possible for our students. This year, one teacher was recognized each week and we were asked to share a reflection about teaching with our colleagues. Two weeks ago, it was my turn to share my thoughts. Of course I had to write a poem.
I love writing abecedarians and decided that The ABCs of Teaching would be the best form to organize my reflections about all I’ve learned about teaching children over the past 27 years.
The ABCs of Teaching
Ask questions and
Build knowledge.
Cultivate curiosity.
Develop relationships.
Encourage children to explore and
Find their
Gifts. Grow their
Hearts.
Infuse this
Journey with joy,
Kindness,
Love and laughter.
Make learning meaningful.
Nurture strengths.
Open hearts to
Possibilities.
Quiet doubts and fears.
Read, read, read!
Sing praises, build
Trust, treasure each moment.
Unlock mysteries,
Validate and celebrate success.
Wonder what’s next.
eXpect miracles. Stay
Young and never lose your
Zeal for children!
Draft © Catherine Flynn, 2022
I hope you all have a relaxing, safe, and healthy summer!
Reading to the Core 
Beautiful poem Catherine, and your abecedarian reels in so many powerful and sensitive traits. Love the questions, curiosity, possibilities and miracles! Thanks for hosting, and hope you enjoy your summer too!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks for hosting and thanks for teaching. I am a former home educator, and now a full time substitute teacher and your poem really resonated with me. https://dave-homeschooldad.blogspot.com/2022/06/poetry-friday-for-first-time.html
LikeLiked by 1 person
Very nice poem Catherine! I shared this with my daughter and she said, “Yeah, teachings hard.” She’s 12 🙂 and appreciates the work that her teachers do. Thank you!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Congratulations for finishing. I am in touch with former colleagues and so admire each of you in the extreme challenges these recent years. Whew! The poem is awesome, Catherine, an ABC of teaching. I love “Grow their hearts” & the first, important to me, ‘ask questions’! Happy Summer to you and thanks for hosting!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Catherine, your poem is ideal for the occasion, the times, and possesses an uplifting and positive tone. It presents as gift of affirmation for you and colleagues. Your ending is particularly strong. As the Beatles once sang, ‘Switch off, relax and float down stream.’ Enjoy your summer rejuvenation.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Good Morning, dear Catherine. Your ability to make abecedarians is amazing. I just want to say, AMEN! “Find their gifts/Grow their Hearts” is one of my WHYs. Thank you for this. It’s a keeper.
LikeLiked by 1 person
A perfect poem to end the school year, Catherine! Thanks for all you & your fellow teachers have been doing. Our school district wrapped up this past Tue., as well.
LikeLiked by 1 person
[…] today’s complete Poetry Friday roundup, head over to my friend Catherine’s blog, Reading to the Core, for a special end-of-school-year poem for all the teachers out […]
LikeLike
Catherine, this is so lovely! I really appreciate the short sentences in the poem…I know this was a gift to others at your school, just as it is to us! Thanks for all you give…and happy relaxing this summer! xo
LikeLiked by 1 person
[…] Friday is with Catherine at Reading to the Core. Thanks, Tabatha for leading the Summer Poem […]
LikeLike
Well done, Catherine! Such a delightful celebration of teaching, reminding us all the important things teachers do.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I love your poem. I once had to write my classroom philosophy for a creativity class in my gifted masters program. I chose to paint it and many of the images I included are reflected here in your poem. I’d like to print it and share it with colleagues. Is that OK? Thanks for hosting.
LikeLiked by 1 person
You are a whole alphabet of absolutely dear and daring caring, my fellow teacher! Thanks for this poem and for hosting us today!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I love that they celebrated all of you this year! What a school year it was! I love your abcedarian poem as well.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Pretty sure this is the best Abecedarian I have ever read. I love it! So well crafted – but very true, too. Thank-you for sharing your heart and your words with us.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I tried to choose a favorite line from your abecedarian and I couldn’t because they are all important! Congrats on the successful conclusion of the school year! Thanks for hosting 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
It takes an entire alphabet to even attempt to capture all the aspects of teaching. Thank you for this inspiring post, and for hosting PF this week!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wonderful, Catherine! I love those ABCs. Thank you for rounding up. The link is not working for me, but I am in with a post called Hot Shakespeare Summer. https://chickenspaghetti.typepad.com/chicken_spaghetti/2022/06/hot-shakespeare-summer.html
LikeLiked by 1 person
[…] Catherine has this week’s Poetry Friday Roundup at Reading to the Core. […]
LikeLike
I love abecedarians, and you’re right — it was the perfect form within which to celebrate all the best about teaching! Like others, I can’t pick a favorite line!! Thanks for hosting us, and for being an inspirational teacher from A-Z!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Neat poem for teachers at all levels.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks for hosting today, Catherine. I *love* these lines: “Find their / Gifts. Grow their / Hearts.”
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks for this – I haven’t done an abcedarian poem in ages, and since I’m going to fiddle with acrostics next, I’ll keep this on the back burner. Thanks for hosting today!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Catherine, Thanks for hosting! I love your acrostic on the ABCs of teaching – especially this part,
Infuse this
Journey with joy,
Kindness,
Love and laughter.
You inspired me to try this form again…about my move today. I last wrote an acrostic at Christmas time and love playing with the words and finding just the right ones!
LikeLiked by 1 person
What a perfect poem for the end of the year, but even better to celebrate your colleagues and your journey through these last years of COVID and your many years in the profession. Thank you for sharing so many profound observations.
And thank you for hosting!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Catherine, I posted my poem Thursday night and never added it to the link-up. And that’s the kind of week it’s been! I love your abecedarian poem. There’s so much more to teaching than just imparting information. That’s the least of it, and your poem explores all the rest of it–the stuff that grows learners and good humans and gives them a safe haven. Happy summer–you are definitely a teacher of the year to me! Thanks for hosting.
LikeLiked by 1 person
[…] wonderful Catherine Flynn at Reading to the Core has the Poetry Friday Roundup this week, plus a fabulous abecedarian poem of […]
LikeLike
Grateful for all teachers, who give A-Z and more, every day. Thanks for hosting! (Late, but heartfelt.)
LikeLiked by 1 person