Twenty-eight years of teaching,
Three years in the same classroom,
Relocation notification from B-hall to A-hall.
5,878 steps
Boxes, bins, games,
VCR tapes, cassette tapes,
masking tape, Scotch tape,
scissors, glue,
hot glue gun, glue sticks,
paint, paint, paint, paintbrushes.
Two sets of Encyclopedias!
Books, books, books!
Boxcar Children, Magic Tree House,
Harry Potter (fills a whole box)
Professional books: Aimee Buckner, Ralph Fletcher,
Donalyn Miller, and Georgia Heard.
Yellow, pink, blue sticky notes: thumbs up!
The Easy button,
our sacred writing bell,
pillows, a blanket,
two painted author’s chairs.
Pencils, pens, erasers, markers, crayons,
Letters, cards, “I Love you, Mrs. Simon”
“Your (never you’re) the best teacher ever!”
Mugs, vases, photos,
stories, memories,
voices of many children,
the heart of one teacher.
My poet friend, Amy Ludwig VanDerwater and blogging friend, Kimberley Moran, have teamed up on Sharing our Notebooks to get us ready for summer writing. Head over there and see my post about found/black-out poetry. You are welcome to contribute a Try This as well. Here’s the link to Amy’s Google doc.
Oh how I know this pain. I love the list poem and the precious cargo that has to be moved from classroom to classroom! Happy Trails!
I’ve been in my room for five years now and I can’t imagine what it would be like to dismantle it all and move. Loved this list poem!
I am not sure I can count how many classrooms I have been in! I know it is 7 schools, guessing 11 classrooms- I feel your pain! I love the list poem format to get to so much stuff!
I’ve lost count.
I’m moving after 15 years in one classroom. This poem struck a chord. It also provided some inspiration to try a poem. Mine will be titled, “Misc.” I’m so tired of packing boxes, that is what I’m labeling all the boxes these days. Best of luck to you!
Misc. Exactly. One good thing about staying in house is I don’t have to box it all!
I am actually moving most of it home, Margaret, so I know what you’re feeling. Bag by bag, and now it sits in one room, waiting to be sorted, waiting to see what I want to keep. I’ve changed classrooms three times in this school, hard work, but fun to imagine a new space. Best of luck to you! Amy’s and Kimberley’s “Try It” space is terrific, isn’t it?
Home is harder. Finding space and not knowing what you may need to keep.
This list made me smile so many times! “Your (never you’re)” and the writing bell. So much evidence of all the wonderful things you do in the concrete!
Thanks for the links too.
Oh my – moving classrooms – never easy! The good thing is you get a chance to purge and reorganize. Love your list. I also like the “Your (never you’re)” line! 😉
I once had to move within in my apartment building and I vowed to never move locations (in the same building) again if I didn’t have to. Therefore, I can empathize with what you’re going through.
As for those VCR tapes… Ha! I still have plenty of VCR and cassette tapes, but don’t have anything to play them on.
It’s killing me to throw away the encyclopedias. But they are from 1992. And we never use them. I told the janitor to wait until I was gone to toss them.
The heart of one teacher… love that ending line. Moving is a pain, Margaret. Hope it goes as well as possible for you.
And don’t forget the Easy Button!
Oh Dana, I needed it today, but it’s deeply packed away.
I haven’t had to move my classroom ever – but your poem makes me feel as though I can just imagine what that would be like – bittersweet.
Ever? Are you kidding me? As a gifted teacher, I have moved at least one of my classrooms (I service 2 schools) every year. This one I’ve been lucky enough to stay in for three years.
Ever! I am lucky.
I have been teaching in the same room for all seven years of my teaching life and I fear the day I have to pack everything up and move. I loved your list poem, especially the line about “your, (never you’re)”. So true!