Sitting at my desk on the almost last day of school
SILENCE
The whir of the AC is all that reaches my ears
SILENCE
The halls are lonely
SILENCE
The walls are stripped bare
SILENCE
The school seems sorrowful
SILENCE
Summer for students has arrived
SILENCE
My tired teacher being rests in
SILENCE
resting and dreaming of the summer days to come…one final day
SILENCE
I write this sitting at my desk today. I am taking a break from the packing, filing and organizing that fills this almost last day of school. It struck me how quiet the school is today. No hustle bustle of students. No young voices and laughter filling the air. There is a silence that permeates the building. The school feels out of sorts.
Honestly, I feel out of sorts too. It always takes me a few days to transition from work mode to summer mode. The joy with students on their last day of school yesterday mixes with bittersweetness that another year has come to a close. This silence makes me realize how full my days are with connections, love and learning. I’m missing it a bit right now.
I have longed for silence at times this year. Now it signals summer. I will soak in the silence of summer mornings at home letting it relax and rejuvenate me.
I await the time that these halls will ring with so much more than silence.
Summer here I come!
Doodads and Doodles 
9 responses to “Embracing the Silence: Reflections on the Almost Last Day of School”
Cathy, congratulations on making it this far into your school year! Wow, one more day! Then a well-deserved rest. Your poem and prose shows the complexity of feelings about this time. “The school seems sorrowful” to “My tired teacher being rests in SILENCE”
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Congrats!! You deserve this summer break. The silence is nice but I too know what you mean by it being a bit odd after so many months of noise and interaction!
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Wow, you go a long ways into June! I know you are ready for the break, and right now that silence is the greatest appeal of all – – to be quiet and bask in the solitude. And think. And dream.
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Your poem at the beginning of your piece is such a powerful reminder of what it was like before. The contrast is so clear.
What struck me was this short paragraph that I reread:
“I have longed for silence at times this year. Now it signals summer. I will soak in the silence of summer mornings at home letting it relax and rejuvenate me.”
It shares the longing for silence/summer that has now arrived. I also like the way you share the effect it all has on you.
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Thank you.
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I love how the repetition of “silence” creates a drum beat pulling us through the poem, and I love this line, “I will soak in the silence of summer mornings”
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Enjoy the break to recharge. It’s obvious that you put yourself into your days with students. Now take some time for yourself, so you can connect next year with the same dedication. I wonder how many of them are feeling a bit of that adjustment to some free time that you are. Here’s to settling in and enjoying those mornings (and afternoons and evenings…)
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Congratulations on finishing the school year! It’s always an adjustment going from the routines of school to summer freedom. Enjoy!
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I am savoring the silence in your poem – it is almost an unspeakable joy. Silence like this really is golden; it is akin to peace, and we crave that so. I hope by now you are savoring your summer!
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