No to plagiarize Socrates

But I know

That I don’t know

And that’s something.

I grew up here

When the hate was quieter

I grew up here

When phones hung on walls.

We had our violence

Our rumor and spite

But it wasn’t hand delivered

To every person in the school

Our shame wasn’t posted on youtube

And watched in a huddle

Three desks down.

We knew things were Bad

Most of us dropped out

Fell into meth ...

She felt her ears turn red, as she was squashed by a group of preschoolers. Some were crying, some were asking, some were quietly staring. They all needed her but she did not know how to help! What a helpless feeling that was.

Time was ticking and it felt like long hours have passed since she had entered the children’s room and stood like a statue. Now that she has entered the battlefield of inte...

“I’m not going to tell you again. Put your phone down!”

She was the third student this week that had to be warned against texting while driving and the third time I was ignored. I thought teaching high school English had been challenging but it paled in comparison to being a driving instructor. The youthful ignorance of my students was overshadowed by their arrogance.

“I can’t put it down,”...

3 weeks before summer vacation and the end of the school year a teacher with the principal to discuss what to do with the problem girl in their class

“Principal Layla do you know why this girl keeps causing problems for me, I have been tormented with her antics half the school year I can’t figure it out if may be she just Born this way?”

The principal returned his answer “wh...

The door handle jiggles and the room gets cold. Cold to the touch, almost - as if the silence piercing the room had never heard of gloves. The barricade against the door - the tower of chairs and desks and glitter from yesterday’s art unit - is the only thing standing between an AR15 and Mrs Montague’s 4th grade class.

Mrs Montague is an older woman. She has taught 4th grade for over 35 years a...

“Hi, excuse me?”

My back straightened, and I looked over my shoulder.

“Yes?” I responded. I opened the cabinet door, the newly-bought beakers crammed on each shelf.

“Do you know-” His voice came out a strange garble. He cleared his throat. “Do you know where Mr. Johnson is?”

I turned to him, the boy on the other side of the science lab.

He stood in the doorway, his hands gripped around his ba...

I started the day like any other. I walked to my desk and plopped my bag on my chair. The class was empty but soon enough I knew that would change. Before class started I prepared the desks with today's assignment. Not that It would matter much in the end. The bell sounded throughout the halls, and I started feeling my daily dread. I still didn't understand why it was that I chose to become a teac...

“Hello class, this is my first day as a teacher and I just want to go to know you all today,” I said in a high pitched voice than normal.

I was just here in this exact class only four years ago, why does it feel so different?

“Alright, I’m going to start and then we can go from front to back in introductions,” I announced before continuing, “ I’m Salish Bloom and I’d love for you to call me Salis...

As the room, starts, to fill, with the pitter, patter, of feet

Gazing around, curious, looks, who will I, today, meet

Eye to eye, contact, is exchanged, with silent looks

Heavy, burden of knapsacks, and tons, of large books

The silent, shuffle, of going to your, wooden, hard, seat

The i phone, is spookily, silent, as the music, looses its beat

Put all electronic, devices, up here in this wooden...

One by one, they were all taken.

It started on a bitter winter morning, the type that causes rasping coughs and miserable colds. Entering my classroom, there was 4 or 5 students missing- but that was expected. However, as the day went on, more and more kids were vanishing. It started of slowly, barely noticeable but by lunchtime, nearly half the class were gone. I continued to teach, unease fill...