Things You Didn't Put on Your Résumé
by Joyce Sutphen
How often you got up in the middle of the night
when one of your children had a bad dream,
and sometimes you woke because you thought
you heard a cry but they were all sleeping,
so you stood in the moonlight just listening
to their breathing,
(Here's the rest.)
We're so much more than our résumés. This poem is mostly about motherhood, and certainly there are many things about being a mother that I consider my greatest strengths. But even as a teacher, my résumé will never contain all my skills. Like the fact that I once swallowed a fly, and went right on teaching.
I had some moments this week when I felt as though I was a great teacher. I had lots of moments when I felt the opposite, too, but I chose to focus on the good when I wrote this:
Things You Didn't Put on Your Résumé
by Ruth from thereisnosuchthingasagodforsakentown.blogspot.com
How you love the characters in the Iliad
almost as much as the students in your class.
How happy it makes you when your students beg you
to read aloud one more chapter.
How many of your kids read their "first fat book"
while they are in your care.
How you learn from reading their writing about soccer, and Fortnite,
and getting pointe shoes, and living their lives.
How you once swallowed a fly while you were teaching
and didn't even interrupt the lesson.
How about you? What skills do you have that aren't on your résumé?
Here's today's roundup.
P.S. This week I found a photo of one of my poems on Facebook, posted by a friend who didn't know it was mine. The photo was from this anthology, Imperfect: poems about mistakes: an anthology for middle schoolers, edited by our own Tabatha Yeatts. You should get a copy!
12 comments:
I love this topic! I'm going to use this writing prompt when I finish my other projects. I do a lot with mentoring and workforce development. I always tell people resumes are not really a person, resumes are just the brochure. Get to the human connection, the shared experience between people as quickly as possible. Thank you for posting!
Ah, now, dear Ruth, thank you.
"...how you took them to the ocean and the mountains and brought them safely home.."
Damp eyes over this, with joy.
Appreciations to the intro to a poet-new-to-me.
I love both of these! Your timing is perfect. I've been talking about exactly this with my friends. All the things we have learned to do from being parents and being experienced adults that we wouldn't know how to put on our resumes. Love that you swallowed a fly and kept right on teaching and that your students read their first fat books in your care.
I read that poem this week, too, & sent it to a few friends and family, something everyone might think about and be happy over! I loved it, and love your own "things", Ruth, that part about the Iliad made me smile. Thanks!
And your resume doesn't mention how kind, generous, funny, forgiving, and loving you are. Such a good, loyal friend! Love your poetry; love your blog.
Oh, Ruth, I love Sutphen's resume, and yours. Dearly. Yes, so many things that make me me will never end up on a resume, but they're as vital as my heart pumping blood. Thanks for the inspiration to write a "not on a resume" poem. :)
And by the way, I have that gorgeous book! ;) How funny about your friend posting the poem without knowing!
Hahaha--been there on the fly, Ruth. I love your poem, especially the part about learning about your kids' lives through their writing. That was such a privilege (and sometimes a burden, too) when I was a teacher.
I love both your poem and Joyce Sutphen's. I've always been fond of the Ilyad and thought it would be so much fun to illustrate.
Your story about swallowing a fly makes me smile–how brave you were throughout. Thanks Ruth!
"In your care" is a lovely way to describe it. You are way too cool to let a fly throw off your lesson!
I love both of these poems and the premise for them. I will definitely be playing around with this idea. I also enjoyed reading your post about the fly--Yikes! You clearly are unflappable! lol
I am SO impressed by your fly swallowing! :D Wonderful to read Sutphen's poem and then yours.
Ruth, you made me smile when I read,
How you once swallowed a fly while you were teaching
and didn't even interrupt the lesson.
That must have been an interesting moment in your day. I am not sure I could have gone on without stopping for water. Resumes are shiny and full of accomplishments. I like the poem you chose and knowing that you are full of love for your students. I like to think that one of my not on my resume fun facts is that I am a grandmother totaling in love with that state of being.
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