The Alberta Teachers’ Association

I am a teacher

You are my children.
We triumph together when you master cursive.
We struggle through long division.
I wipe away tears when something bruises your elbow
    Or someone bruises your heart.
You read to me—I read to you.
We laugh over silly jokes or stories.
I introduce you to new words—
You refresh me with new perspectives.
I wasn’t there when you were born.
I don’t get to tuck you in at night …
Or dance at your wedding.
But, you are my children.
And as June draws to a close
I grow melancholy.
You will move on and I will stay behind to start yet again.
And as the years pass you blend, merge, and mingle—
Warp and weft intertwined into my universal child.
I am a teacher.
You are the fabric of my life.

Susan Holland teaches at Grasmere School, in Alberta Beach. She is retiring this June after a 33-year career teaching in two small Alberta schools.