I write, there I . . .

a teacher and a writer

I feel vital when I write,
when my words sketch out thought and feeling,

I feel right when
the educator in me succeeds,

when the youngsters turn on to themselves
and take off,
the structure of class or play or overarching activity
that works,
when those I get to know and love
become more fully the greatness that they can be,

I think my teaching touches more
and more deeply than my writing,

but my writing means more to me
than any evidence proves its worth,
beyond how I feel writing it,

my teaching thrills me
with every self I see
shining out through the eyes of my students,
my writing means enough to me
that I find space, time, and words
to bring a poem such as this into existence.

by Henry Walker
March 3, ’10