HALL PASS By: Kristine O'Connell George

Poetry Break 1 (A poem about school, the library or books and reading)

Introduction
On the first day of school have ready in class a rather cumbersome piece of lumber with this poem written on it. Have it hanging in an obvious place in the classroom.

Hall Pass
By Kristine O’Connell George

Guess they don’t want to
misplace one of us,
have to confess to our parents
one of us escaped.
So if you need to go to the
cafeteria, office, library,
restroom, or whatever,
you’re expected to haul
a weathered hunk of lumber
huge as a rowboat oar.

Only one way to leave class—
rowing down these wide halls
with this enormous pass.

[from SWIMMING UPSTREAM MIDDLE SCHOOL POEMS, (Clarion, 2002)]

Extension

Have your classroom rules from the previous year ready to share with the class. Go over the rules, allow students to make recommendations for revision. I have found that students (5th graders) are usually fair and within acceptable boundaries with their recommendations. This allows the students to feel as if they have some ownership. The poem above might help this necessary part of the beginning school year. This might be especially beneficial in a setting where students move from class to class and hear and see rules all day long the first day of school.