Relationships with Pupils

poems on the wall
children tell me to roll the dice
read a story
they work independently on and off the map
I ding the bell: they listen
I raise my hand: they assent
fluidly the ball passes back and forth between student and teacher and learner
until I lose track of which I am

I am the stranger in the classroom
they lead me down the hall to music, lunch, computer, recess
I lead them down the pathways to discover bones, lemurs, Madagascar, artic disasters.

No one knows everything
Most folks know just enough to get through the day
faking it all the way to the exit