Come Peruse 4 New Haikus

Sally

Sally is one of the guests at the senior camp where I work. She is on the board of her Shul and that's just one of many activities she is involved in. She sells Jewelry at camp and all the proceeds go to the camp. She is a ball of fire and a trip and a half. May be all be so full of life if we are blessed to Sally's age.

I hope when I'm old

I'm as with it as Sally

She is eighty five

There's an English teacher, in his fifties, in my school who stops kids when they say something is "like." He says "NOT LIKE." And makes them go on without that word. On the other side there are teachers who are showcased and praised for being "not much older than the students they teach" who use the word "like" liberally.

Young, smart, teacher types

speak in, like, a certain way

use like - like a lot

Sometimes books about how to teach have helpful statements in them, such as "teaching without learning is like selling without buying." This is a very timely statement as despite all given circumstances one must try to ensure that learning accompanies teaching.

A related memorable bit of wisdom is that teachers teach students, not subjects.

What is it we teach?

People say "Math" or "Chumash."

But we teach people.

I recall the first time I took a bus out to the school where I teach. It was many years ago. I was going out for my interview and to soothe my nerves I read an Entertainment Weekly that I bought at the bus terminal on the way (cover story: Top Summer Songs Ever). I also recall, in September of my first year a dear friend telling me that he saw me walking from school to the bus stop on one of my first days, and that he had warm wishes for me at that time.

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Since then I've taken the ride back and forth many times. Thank G-d.

Several thousand times

I have ridden on Rt. 4

with ambivalence