I am from...

We had a wonderful staff development session in late November. The topics ranged from literacy to cultural competency, but the best activity was led by students from our school. They asked us to write and discuss "I am from..." poems. It was a powerful and memorable event. Looking at "...places, ...products, ...food, ...smells, ... common things, ...poeple, ... food, ...ouches, ... pictures" and some other topics, the finished productrs turn out to be succint and yet complex poetic masterpieces, no matter who writes them!

Here is mine.


I am from a proud father
I am from a loving boyfriend
I am from a small town
I am from a poor and sometimes hard upbringing
I am from a broken home - 5 times over
I am from rice pudding, weak coffee and sugar cookies
I am from hand-me-downs
I am from diet coke
I am from a twin
I am from country music
I am from screaming, hollering and abuse
I am from bad habits and poor choices
I am from slip and slides and sleep overs at my cousins
I am from tator tot hotdish
I am from dirt drive ways and matchbox cars
I am from a five year old ring bearer who cried all the way up the aisle
I am from playing 500 at holidays
I am from someone who tries to be himself, and thinks he fails all the time
I am from being compassionate
I am from great friends, who would do anything for me
I am from "The Rose"
I am from someone who wants to both belong and stand out, and ultimately make a difference