I Remember - Thoughts On A Poem By Lydia Cortes At The Start Of School

[The Stage is on Fire] is a page-turner in which, much like life, there are no easy answers and yet each step of the journey yields insight and hope. This work of heart must not be missed!

Melanie Faith

Creative Writing Teacher, Essayist & Poet.

Katie Steedly’s first-person piece [The Unspeakable Gift] is a riveting retelling of her participation in a National Institutes of Health study that aided her quest to come to grips with her life of living with a rare genetic disorder. Her writing is superb.

The Society of Professional Journalists

In recognition of receiving the Dateline Award for the Washingtonian Magazine essay, The Unspeakable Gift.

I thank you … It is the authenticity of your “class notes”; and it is the delicacy and skill with which you present the nuances of classroom life and the actuality of your students’ and fellow teachers’ lives.

Maxine Greene

Philosopher and Education Scholar

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I Remember – Thoughts On A Poem By Lydia Cortes At The Start Of School

During this back to school season, I took a look at a favorite book of poetry, Teaching With Fire: Poetry That Sustains The Courage To Teach, edited by Sam Intrator and Megan Scribner. “I, Remember” is in that book.

“I Remember,” a poem by Lydia Cortes

In this poem, Cortes relates her experience as a Puerto Rican student growing up in Brooklyn. “I Remember,” is about the sensitivity of some teachers and the difference they make. “I Remember,” is about the harsh reality students of color face in our schools. “I Remember,” is about the importance of dreams, being seen, and family.

What I Remember

I remember Ms. Jacobs writing that I talked too much on my report card, and singing in the elementary school choir. I remember being in the top Reading group in third grade, and getting caught cheating in high school Spanish. I remember not making high school cheerleader, and being cast as a lead Munchkin in Wizard of Oz my senior year. I remember Social Justice class where we learned about homelessness and poverty, and World Religions class and Mr. McCaa teaching us “Heaven is living in the presence of God.” I remember feeling like I fit in until I didn’t, which happened in about 9th grade.

If you were going to write a poem about what you remember about your school experience, what would your poem say? Biggest lessons learned? Most impactful teachers? Did you play well with others? Did you invite strangers to eat lunch? Were you a “good” or “bad” kid?

First days of schools come and go. Take time this first day of school to feel a tinge of excitement, to remember we all can start again, and again, and again, to connect with old and new faces, to start to create something or turn a page or light a fire in your belly, to thank someone who has shared their love and wisdom on your path.