Fare Thee Well

It's been a year unlike the years
We've ever known before;
Set adrift by changing tides -
Normal? - A distant shore.
The rules that filled our Saintly sails,
Temperamental winds at best,
Made ev'ry course correction hard,
Put our mettle to the test.
Still, you gripped the rigging tight,
Held fast with fortitude;
Adapted to the elements,
Youthful spirit thus imbued.
Exhausted from exertion,
Whether class or stage or court,
You've traversed the 7th sea
And found refuge in summer's port.

Somethings I hope you learned this year,
Nautical motif aside:
Integrity is paramount,
It works each time it's tried.
A perfect score is meaningless
If you've cheated, stolen, lied.
Reflection is a mighty tool
If honestly applied,
And giving up on oneself
Is opportunity denied.

Like Ponyboy, lean on your friends;
Make new ones, keep the old.
When life offers you Right or Wrong,
Have the courage to Stay Gold.
Should you stray (I hope you won't)
If things are nothing like you've dreamed,
Remember, even the worst of us - 
Ebenezer - was redeemed.
Find solace in the little things; 
The world is yours to form.
Leon showed us a better way:
Be grateful and forgiving and warm.
Jin learned self-acceptance,
Monkey King was born of stone.
When other mocked his righteous path,
Wong stayed the course - his own.
Ender's life was not his own;
He left comfort for cold space.
He suffered lies (and persevered)
But found purpose in their place.
Five genres of literature
With plots widely disparate;
From their themes and characters,
Wise treasures to inherit.

After this topsy-turvy year
May your summer be the best,
Filled with friends and family,
Sunshine, good books, and rest.
I offer you, one final time,
As English 7 is now done:
No matter where your future leads -
Work hard. Get better. Have fun.

- Mr Wilson, 2021

The End of a Crazy Year From a Distance

May you face, intrepid, your next challenge.

May you step, confident, upon novel shore.

For as long as we're here, should you need a keen ear,

Please know you are welcome at my door. 

May your summer be rife with adventure.

May your reading breed new thoughts galore.

May the next time we meet be a reunion complete

with more happiness than ever before.

© Mr. Wilson, 2020

Opening Day 2019

in which I present classroom philosophy and encourage all the mistakes as opportunities and provide a clue to the first puzzle of the year...

Greetings and salutations!
Welcome to a brand new year.
You may have mixed feelings,
But I’m really glad you’re here.

English 7 is a sandbox,
Mr. Wilson is my name.
We’ll treat our classmates with respect
And learning quite the same.

Let’s dive into the deep end
Unafraid of getting wetter,
And let’s make errors and mistakes
In pursuit of getting better.

Let’s take chances, accept the stakes,
And risk an infrequent zero.
If we keep our eyes Endgame-bound,
We all emerge in May the hero.

Along the way we’ll read good books,
Study stories, words, and grammar,
And polish up our writing until
It shines with proper glamour.

Some of this work will come easy;
Existing skill may smooth some nights,
But it’s the days that seem a struggle
That help you reach new heights.

Let’s PLAY and laugh and stretch and grow,
With full heart and clear head.
Here’s a puzzle to kick things off;
Find the syllabus and get it read.

© Mr. Wilson, 2019

Upon Rising to the Eighth Grade

Another year has come and gone, the end arrives so soon;
What started back in August, has reached its pinnacle near June.
We’ll wrap it up for summer and go our separate ways;
I hope you’ll take some meaning from the last 300 days.

The lessons of a class like this go beyond the printed page
And for the rest of your career, as a learner, set the stage.
I don’t just mean the grammar, or the vocab, or Wuzzle candy.
While those things are important, there are others perhaps more handy.

Each novel that we read this year offered a trait from which to glean
The basis of the humanity you forge when you’re a teen.
Leon’s is a cautionary tale: where the path of ignorance leads;
Jin’s acceptance of himself is how he ultimately succeeds.
Ender is mistreated, betrayed - but still a better future he dreamed.
Scrooge is proof that even a lifetime of mistakes can be redeemed.
Mattie’s strength and perseverance in the face of odds severe
Mirrors Pony’s understanding and intent to be sincere.
Education, acceptance, fortitude – tough lessons, but well-learned.
Generosity, persistence, empathy – how true relationships are earned.

Of course you should continue to strive for excellence;
Be mindful of how and what you write, speak with eloquence.
When the world treats you unfairly, show resolve in vast amounts.
It’s not enough to want success, it’s the work that really counts.

If you’re thinking, “Yes! Sixth and seventh graders…next year we’ve finally got ‘em!”
Remember to stay humble: one year you’re at the top, the next you’re back on bottom.
You’ve seen middle school from two perspectives; now it’s your turn to lead.
Be the class with character, in thought and word and deed.

Be kind to yourself when you make mistakes; you are a work in progress.
Aspire to lift up your classmates, even as you strive for your own success.
The years will take you down the hall, ‘cross the Quad, to parts unknown,
I hope the lessons of seventh grade will remain your cornerstone.

You are in charge of your effort, your demeanor, and your attitude.
You have been gifted with opportunity, and you are with free will imbued.
There’s just one more piece of advice to impart before my time with you is done.
You’ve heard it all year, may it guide you forward: work hard, get better, have fun.

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Revised 5/28/19

Flutter

An in-class writing assignment based on a picture from The Mysteries of Harris Burdick by Chris Van Allsburg.

            “What?! Where did she go?!”

            I felt an unfamiliar twinge of…something…oh, what do they call it? You know, that feeling when you know something is wrong, terribly wrong, but there is nothing you can do about it. That feeling you get when the world is closing in on you…and  you…afraid of small spaces.

            Panic. Yes, that’s it. Panic. It was gripping my throat, keeping me from calling out, keeping me from screaming.

            She had been there by my side for as long as I could remember. She was constant, like the sunrise, like the breeze. I would gaze upon her, in all of her splendor, relentlessly day and night and never once did she disapprove or cast aspersions. She remained by my side as a companion and friend for nearly twenty years.

            And then she was gone.

            I blinked and she was gone. Emptiness filled the space she had occupied just moments before. It crept into my heart. No, crept is the wrong word…the emptiness thrust its way into my heart, opening a gaping wound, threatening to swallow me from the inside.

            She had discussed freedom often over the past two decades as she gazed upon the heavily wooded mountains through the window. She had lilted on following the breeze over and into the forest, allowing a zephyr to take her to places of dream and wonder. She had wished for the end of monotony, for adventure far beyond the patterned, paper-thin existence she believed she was living. She dreamed of more, and she finally tore herself free from her decorated prison and floated into the vast unknown.

            And I decided I could not live without her. I would not subject myself to a world devoid of her presence and imagination. I would not live in two dimensions when there was something deeper and more meaningful out…there.

            I dreamed of more.  I dreamed of freedom. I dreamed of her.
            The panic subsided. A light flutter, as tissue gently pulled from a half-empty box or wrinkled parchment smoothed by eager hands. And then I was gone.

Ilustration from The Mysteries of Harris Burdick
by Chris Van Allsburg

The Funnel of Chaos

The first day of school means learning new things...like squeezing a student body and faculty into a space slightly too small for them all at once. Credit "funnel of chaos" to a new teacher witnessing this procedure for the first time.

Nine hundred bodies
spread across sunlit lawn;
Excitement only dampened

by dew and random yawn.

An early morning meeting,

after days of summer burn;

eager students and teachers

present, ready to learn.

A solemn pledge is taken

as stars and stripes are raised.

Request for wisdom, kindness,

the Lord invoked and praised.

At last, ceremony concluded,

School in session once more.

Now head to the auditorium -

welcome announcements galore.

Just give us a few minutes, please.
Nine hundred bodies. One door.

© Jeff Wilson, 2013

Book Spine Poetry

"The Tiger's Tale"

"Reversal of Fortune"

"Built from the Bottoms Up"

Jeff Wilson, 2013