NPM: The Hand
April is National Poetry Month and my plan of sharing poems of significance to me fell to the wayside as life happened (or didn’t happen).
Emily Dickinson’s “Hope is a Thing of Feathers” was the first post, and now I am ending the month with Mary Ruefle’s “The Hand” as a tribute to students, teachers, the general education community. I miss being in the classroom.
The Hand
The teacher asks a question. You know the answer, you suspect you are the only one in the classroom who knows the answer, because the person in question is yourself, and on that you are the greatest living authority, but you don’t raise your hand. You raise the top of your desk and take out an apple. You look out the window. You don’t raise your hand and there is some essential beauty in your fingers, which aren’t even drumming, but lie flat and peaceful. The teacher repeats the question. Outside the window, on an overhanging branch, a robin is ruffling its feathers and spring is in the air.
This poem is a poster that I place prominently in my classroom, to remind me, and to remind my students, that we all have something to share, yet if we don’t make that effort to speak out no one will know what we had to offer.
This poem has even greater meaning for me since I am now separated from my students and I am unable to hear their voices and we are unable to share our ideas with one another. Distance teaching provides learning, yet it’s in a vacuum since I am unable to interact with my students. They might be gaining knowledge through the lessons I send out to them; however, how are they receiving that knowledge, what it means to them is somewhat lost. Electronic response is not the same as seeing that hand raise and hearing their voice.
Yes, I miss being in the classroom. I miss my students.
Pam Webb 
As I read, I remembered English class with Frau Schauster. I was in 7th grade and sat quietly behind my desk, intrigued by all those foreign words. It was my second language. I didn’t know back then that she taught me lessons I would later use – EVERY DAY.
Keep going, Teacher! Even though you are not in the classroom, your students are listening. They are learning valuable lessons, which makes you indispensable.
Thank you for the encouragement!
Apples are good as well. 🙂