美国国家公共电台 NPR--'Who Will Clean Out The Desks' — A crowdsourced poem in praise of teachers

'Who Will Clean Out The Desks' — A crowdsourced poem in praise of teachers

Transcript¹

As part of teacher appreciation² month, Morning Edition asked NPR's audience to write a poem about teachers who have had an impact on their lives.

We put out this call a week before the mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas, so the majority of contributors are not reflecting on that horrific day but a late addition did reflect that loss.

We received over 300 responses, and NPR's poet in residence Kwame Alexander took lines from submissions³ to create a community poem.

This poem is dedicated⁴ to all teachers, but especially to Irma Garcia and Eva Mireles, fourth grade teachers who lost their lives at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde.

Who Will Clean Out The Desks

Teachers make a dent⁵.

A soft curve in the gray matter

A crevice⁶ where light shines in

a seed to germinate⁷.

They open eyes

kick open Imagination

Make us see

encourage change of mind

and change of heart

NOT to force the walking of a single path

But the revelation of many.

Teachers make and shape

They weave through the constraints⁸ on their vision

creating and molding the students.

Teachers celebrate

Teachers conquer hate and foster expectation

teachers make light go

where darkness has resided

make chrysanthemums⁹ of wildflower seeds,

tall stems and fragile blossoms exploding in their reach.

They make statements that linger long after the lessons have been absorbed. Like Mrs. Tucker who wrote, "Amy is like a ray of sunshine on a cloudy day" on my first-grade report card,

Teachers bring forth¹⁰ dreamers and thinkers.

They make us Stretch

make us Wake up

Make us Realize compassion¹¹

Make us feel

Make us Cry

Make us Laugh

make us understand our Connection

make us grateful.

This is for Mr. Wilke

who taught Vocational Electronics

at Romeo High School in Michigan.

He helped make a creative mind

Crafted, molded and helped find

New interests and ideas, refined

To create new words, undefined.

Trips like Sisyphus each year,

Another journey up the hill,

Another class to teach,

Another state test to endure and stress over,

Another prom, graduation, homecoming,

Another break to look forward to.

Teachers are there despite it all

Even when the world makes you feel small.

Mrs. Hunney didn't do it for the money.

She saw I had potential,

even with dyslexia I could be Presidential.

You see, Teachers make bad days into good

Make the journey as meaningful as the destination

Make reading rewarding

make good trouble.

Teachers make decisions.

Around 1,500 per day.

What to say, how to say it, and when

Teachers make love

out of everything.

Teachers make me feel like I am special

like I am safe

Teachers make Sense

Of a jumble¹² of eighth notes and

Then quarter notes

And a smear¹³ of dark chords

They make music.

On the day that he died, not just me but the whole school cried, " he's the reason I graduated" " he's the reason I ate lunch" "When my own dad ran out, he helped me so much" They'd honk¹⁴ as they passed by our house day and night , a constant reminder¹⁵ of his touch on their life

A teacher is nothing without a student

As is a farmer without a field

A mind rich with knowledge

A teacher is nothing when stripped of their power

As is a train when emptied of fuel

Censored¹⁶ and idle

We are here because teachers make students

From saplings to majestic¹⁷ Trees of potential.

They make us whole.

They make impressions

subtle hands that make themselves available

to guide us on this trail of woe¹⁸

and wonder

Teachers leave the door open for us to walk through

but when the last bell rings

when the classroom is locked down

who will clean out all the desks?

The math worksheets

The missing LEGO,

the one goldfish cracker¹⁹

the paper clips and crumpled²⁰ post-its that say "I love you!"

the Pencil boxes and old erasers,

the one Pokemon card (Cramorant)

the empty glue stick,

the dusty Harry²¹ Potter mask.

the dirt-smudged backpacks?

At the end of the day

Who will help the teachers prepare for the next

Who will make a home for the heavy hearts,

for The sacred ones who can't stop thinking about those 19 desks,

those 19 backpacks

those 19 summer vacations,

those 19 new pairs of sandals.

those 19 next school years and school years after that

and after that and after that.

Teachers don't let us give up on the words

They help us find them

They help us find ourselves

Just breathe and keep being kind to children

is their mantra –

Who will hold them in kind and caring arms

when the world is not so beautiful

when the summer burns red

when there are no more children

to be kind to.

I say, Let it be us.

Because teachers matter.

This community poem was created using submissions by:

Meg Frost, Mapleton, UT

Patricia Stevenson, Shaker Heights, OH

Matthew Monte, Houghton, MI

James From, Dunwoody, GA

Amy Walter-Peterson, Victor, NY

Ben Ark, Louisville, KY

Alexander Simanovsky, Charleston, SC

Lacey Reach, Macon, GA

Sarah Colerick, Seattle, WA

Carol Sadewasser, Parma, OH

John Douglas, Saint Louis, MO

Eileen Hennessy, Joelton, TN

Aaron Bowen, Morristown, TN

Shelley Sollars, Bloomfield, MI

Ron Meyers, New York, NY

Bhavya Reddy, Green Brook²² NJ

Maddie Radcliff, Omaha, NE

John Linder, Jr, Brooklyn, NY

Tim Josephs, Greensboro, NC

Karen Sherlock, Boulder²³, CO

Jeet Chadha, Saint Louis, MO

Beverly Peterson, Williamsburg, VA

Robert Warden²⁴, Bryan, TX

Chelsea Quam, Sonora, CA

Matthew Friday, Bend, OR

Marina Roytman, Fresno, CA

Morgan Deane, Outer Banks NC

George Asdel, Atascadero, CA

Sonya Jaworski, St Paul, MN

Cheryl WhiteDear, Peabody, MA

Sarah Kirn, Cumberland, ME

Richard Taylor-Kenny, Sherwood, OR

Jen Nails, Las Vegas, NV

Jeevika Verma and Reena Advani produced and edited the audio story. Reena Advani and Rina Torchinsky adapted it for the web.

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 appreciation   

n.评价；欣赏；感谢；领会，理解；价格上涨

参考例句：

• I would like to express my appreciation and thanks to you all.我想对你们所有人表达我的感激和谢意。
• I'll be sending them a donation in appreciation of their help.我将送给他们一笔捐款以感谢他们的帮助。

3 submissions   

n.提交( submission的名词复数 )；屈从；归顺；向法官或陪审团提出的意见或论据

参考例句：

• The deadline for submissions to the competition will be Easter 1994. 递交参赛申请的截止时间为1994年的复活节。 来自辞典例句
• Section 556(d) allows the agency to substitute written submissions for oral direct testimony in rulemaking. 第五百五十六条第（四）款准允行政机关在规则制定中用书面提交材料替代口头的直接证言。 来自英汉非文学 - 行政法

4 dedicated   

adj.一心一意的；献身的；热诚的

参考例句：

• He dedicated his life to the cause of education.他献身于教育事业。
• His whole energies are dedicated to improve the design.他的全部精力都放在改进这项设计上了。

5 dent   

n.凹痕，凹坑；初步进展

参考例句：

• I don't know how it came about but I've got a dent in the rear of my car.我不知道是怎么回事，但我的汽车后部有了一个凹痕。
• That dent is not big enough to be worth hammering out.那个凹陷不大，用不着把它锤平。

6 crevice   

n.(岩石、墙等)裂缝；缺口

参考例句：

• I saw a plant growing out of a crevice in the wall.我看到墙缝里长出一棵草来。
• He edged the tool into the crevice.他把刀具插进裂缝里。

7 germinate   

v.发芽；发生；发展

参考例句：

• Seeds will not germinate without water.没有水，种子是不会发芽的。
• Can thin and hollow seeds germinate?瘦瘪的种子能够发芽吗？

8 constraints   

强制( constraint的名词复数 )； 限制； 约束

参考例句：

• Data and constraints can easily be changed to test theories. 信息库中的数据和限制条件可以轻易地改变以检验假设。 来自英汉非文学 - 科学史
• What are the constraints that each of these imply for any design? 这每种产品的要求和约束对于设计意味着什么？ 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

9 chrysanthemums   

n.菊花( chrysanthemum的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The cold weather had most deleterious consequences among the chrysanthemums. 寒冷的天气对菊花产生了极有害的影响。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The chrysanthemums are in bloom; some are red and some yellow. 菊花开了， 有红的，有黄的。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

10 forth   

adv.向前；向外，往外

参考例句：

• The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。

11 compassion   

n.同情，怜悯

参考例句：

• He could not help having compassion for the poor creature.他情不自禁地怜悯起那个可怜的人来。
• Her heart was filled with compassion for the motherless children.她对于没有母亲的孩子们充满了怜悯心。

12 jumble   

vt.使混乱，混杂；n.混乱；杂乱的一堆

参考例句：

• Even the furniture remained the same jumble that it had always been.甚至家具还是象过去一样杂乱无章。
• The things in the drawer were all in a jumble.抽屉里的东西很杂乱。

13 smear   

v.涂抹；诽谤，玷污；n.污点；诽谤，污蔑

参考例句：

• He has been spreading false stories in an attempt to smear us.他一直在散布谎言企图诽谤我们。
• There's a smear on your shirt.你衬衫上有个污点。

14 honk   

n.雁叫声，汽车喇叭声

参考例句：

• Don't honk the horn indiscriminately.不要乱鸣喇叭！
• While passing another vehicle,you must honk your horn.通过另一部车时必须鸣按喇叭。

15 reminder   

n.提醒物，纪念品；暗示，提示

参考例句：

• I have had another reminder from the library.我又收到图书馆的催还单。
• It always took a final reminder to get her to pay her share of the rent.总是得发给她一份最后催缴通知，她才付应该交的房租。

16 censored   

受审查的，被删剪的

参考例句：

• The news reports had been heavily censored . 这些新闻报道已被大幅删剪。
• The military-backed government has heavily censored the news. 有军方撑腰的政府对新闻进行了严格审查。

17 majestic   

adj.雄伟的，壮丽的，庄严的，威严的，崇高的

参考例句：

• In the distance rose the majestic Alps.远处耸立着雄伟的阿尔卑斯山。
• He looks majestic in uniform.他穿上军装显得很威风。

18 woe   

n.悲哀，苦痛，不幸，困难；int.用来表达悲伤或惊慌

参考例句：

• Our two peoples are brothers sharing weal and woe.我们两国人民是患难与共的兄弟。
• A man is well or woe as he thinks himself so.自认祸是祸，自认福是福。

19 cracker   

n.（无甜味的）薄脆饼干

参考例句：

• Buy me some peanuts and cracker.给我买一些花生和饼干。
• There was a cracker beside every place at the table.桌上每个位置旁都有彩包爆竹。

20 crumpled   

adj. 弯扭的, 变皱的 动词crumple的过去式和过去分词形式

参考例句：

• She crumpled the letter up into a ball and threw it on the fire. 她把那封信揉成一团扔进了火里。
• She flattened out the crumpled letter on the desk. 她在写字台上把皱巴巴的信展平。

21 harry   

vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼

参考例句：

• Today,people feel more hurried and harried.今天，人们感到更加忙碌和苦恼。
• Obama harried business by Healthcare Reform plan.奥巴马用医改掠夺了商界。

22 brook   

n.小河，溪；v.忍受，容让

参考例句：

• In our room we could hear the murmur of a distant brook.在我们房间能听到远处小溪汩汩的流水声。
• The brook trickled through the valley.小溪涓涓流过峡谷。

23 boulder   

n.巨砾；卵石，圆石

参考例句：

• We all heaved together and removed the boulder.大家一齐用劲，把大石头搬开了。
• He stepped clear of the boulder.他从大石头后面走了出来。

24 warden   

n.监察员，监狱长，看守人，监护人

参考例句：

• He is the warden of an old people's home.他是一家养老院的管理员。
• The warden of the prison signed the release.监狱长签发释放令。