Poetry

I remember during my first year at CAIS, Andy would check up on me regularly. It was towards the end of the first semester when he happened into the classroom during a Writer’s Workshop period. We had spent the previous few days scouring volumes of poetry, trying to identify pieces that we felt held a personal significance for us. We were sharing poems and our connections when Andy appeared.

I will generally involve any visitors directly into our classroom activities, be the expected or unexpected, and that is no different when it’s the head of school dropping in. I could tell I caught Mr. Corcoran off guard when I brought him into the conversation immediately and asked if there was a poem or poems that carried deep personal meaning to him. He paused for moment as he scanned the class and the 19 students staring in his direction, waiting for his response. Then, in one of the slickest moves I have seen by anyone in the field of education, Andy coolly reached into his pocket and pulled a folded piece of paper from his wallet.

“Why yes I do,” he replied.

I believe, “Wow” was the consensus response from myself and the class. Andy proceeded to share and discuss his personally significant poem for the 4th graders. I want to say it was Ulysses by Alfred Lord Tennyson. This was 4 years ago so please don’t hold it against me if my memory has failed me. At any rate, it was a unique and special moment that I’ll always remember when I think about Andy and my time here at CAIS.

Zach Jones
4th Grade Teacher