INTRO

Throughout twenty-nine years of teaching, I’ve learned that students don’t always arrive when the bell rings, and learning doesn’t always follow the lesson plan. These poems came from the spaces in between — between connection and confusion, insight and frustration, silence and spark.

Some are polished. Some are awkward. Just like the students who inspired them.

They are not meant to be profound, but they are personal. A few were written quickly. A few sat with me for weeks. All of them carry a piece of the moment, the student, or the lesson that made me stop and put pen to paper.

This is a collection of small truths from a classroom. I hope you find yourself in them — or someone you once were.