Inspired Haikus, Reflections on a year of Inspired Mentoring

On May 31, 2007, Inspired Teachers and Mentors came together to celebrate their accomplishments as part of Inspired Teaching’s Mentoring and Teacher Empowerment Program. Toward the end of the evening, teachers and mentors wrote Haiku (or Tri-kus — Inspired Teaching’s version of Haiku which is three Haiku poems strung together to make a 3-stanza poem). Below are some of their creations!

It is an honor for me to work with the teachers and mentors who work so hard to make their classrooms places of inspiration!

—Kate

Inspired Mentoring
Is essential for
Surviving the day alive
‘Midst mismanagement.

Is essential for
Reviving the soul and drive
I can feel again.

Is essential for
Thriving and risking the dive
I can dream again.

—Carol Betts and Pax


Inspired Teaching: Love in Action
Creative Daring
Questions that open teaching
And learning to more

Possibilities
Wow! How invigorating
Investigating

Brainstorming, playing
Enjoying, writing, singing
Chaos into art.

—Kaneia Mayo, Linda Nunes-Schrag, Reb McCoyer


Inspired Mentoring Is…
Good teachers help kids
They help students learn new things
Good teachers like kids.

Good students listen
They help classmates with their work
Think creatively.

Mentors help schools learn
Programs help kids and teachers
Inspired Teaching.

—Zora Williams, Julie Sweetland, Indhika Jayaratnam


Inspired Mentoring
Observe the class, me
Objective direction now
Take risk for learning.

Help children build lives
Listening and watching them
Help them build their world.

Better transitions
Music, motion, activity
Peace, tranquility.

—Tanina Forbes and Judy Holton


Inspired Mentoring
Is a life-saver
Is a great privilege
Makes you a great friend.

Is observation
Any time, daytime or night
Support unending.

Remembering how
Hard it is to teach the kids
And how rewarding.

—Sophie Luxmoore and Margot deFerranti


Inspired Teaching
Here’s what I would like
Teachers not giving worksheets
Instead playing games.

Let kids think alone
Not spoon-feeding directions
Just let them be free.

Kids have great ideas
No kid is unimportant
Hear all kids ideas!

—Isabel Brodsky and Aleta Margolis


Inspired Mentoring
Encouraging joy
Exploration, questioning
Young minds flow and grow.

—Marguerite Delaney and Bill