March Musings #21: World Poetry Day

Poetry is a window onto the breath-taking diversity of humanity.
Irina Bokova, UNESCO Director General, 2017

Last month, twenty-eight days of ekphrastic poetry writing with Laura Shovan at her 6th Annual February Poetry Project, cleared a path for me to continue writing poetry, celebrate World Poetry Day, and make preparations for my winter gallery of artistic expressions, #WinterWonderland18 to be unveiled as a National Poetry Month gift of poetry love. Writers, bloggers, poets, photographers, Twitter colleagues, educators, and students from around the world have joined me in a global, poetryliscious celebration of the creative spirit.

Stay tuned for the unveiling of Winter Wonderland Gallery.

 

Day 21 of Two Writing Teachers' March Slice of Life Story Challenge

March Musings 22: World Poetry Day

Stories unfold each day as we observe the world around us but do we pause to notice the sounds of life? Yesterday, on March 21st, World Poetry Day, UNESCO celebrated "the unique ability of poetry to capture the creative spirit of the human mind." 

At dawn I was awakened by the noises around me. I listened, fell back into a dreamlike state, and when awake, created a poem in tribute of poetry being an everyday celebration of the wonder of life. May this poem become a "catalyst for dialogue and peace" in your lives. 

Noise

In the dim light of morning,

sounds break the silence.

Humming roars awaken life.

The wind in the trees howl

the coming of springtime.

Cars passing, rush on by.

Chirping birds rouse us

from sleeping states to

announce a new dawn.

The sounds of daybreak

move in ordinary patterns. 

YET, 

do we, as purveyors of life,

pause in silence, recognizing

the calmness of early morn? 

Do we listen to the calling

of each whispering murmur?

Do our living breaths merge

with our souls, breathing in 

the positivity of daily life? 

Listen to the sounds of stillness

that frame each spring morning. 

Be open to what lays before you.

Become one with nature as an

agent of harmony and peace. 

Let the noise become your 

catalyst to reflect in quiet. 

©Carol Varsalona, 2017

This post is the twenty-second in a series titled March Musings 

for Two Writing Teachers' March Slice of Life Story Challenge. 

 

World Teacher's Day

Today, October 5, 2013, marks the celebration of World Teacher's Day, sponsored by UNESCO and its partners, International Labour Organization, United Nations Development Program, UNICEF, and Education International. This year's theme, "A Call for Teachers," emphasizes the need for all learners around the world to have a quality education. Students must develop strategies and utilize appropriate tools to become globally-minded citizens and meet the challenges of a worldwide economy. In order to do so, a force of well-educated and quality teachers is needed. UNESCO is focusing on these issues today to eradicate the barriers to a quality education for all as it celebrates World Teacher's Day. 

As civic-minded individuals, we must be aware of the challenges to education in other parts of the world. Here on Long Island, with resources available, teachers continually assist students to become ardent learners who notice, wonder, and discover; but there are teachers in other parts of the world who do not have adequate resources and materials to support the call to educate. Likewise, there are regions where teaching and learning are luxuries; in the impoverished village of Masese in Uganda there was no educational system. Eating, going to school, and adequate clothing to wear were among the luxuries not afforded to the Masese people. Through the humanitarian efforts of local Rockville Centre residents, the Garrity and Silon families, a school has been established and training provided for the teachers. Ongoing endeavors have supported the growth of the school from a population of 40 student to 300 and a cottage industry of paper bead making for the women. With these stepping stone efforts, the quality of life and better educational opportunities now exist and continue to grow. 

Were it not for the sustainable humanitarian efforts of world-wide organizations such as H.E.L.P. and the grassroots' efforts of dedicated individuals, issues of poverty and its impact on education would not be addressed. The call for quality education on a world-wide scale is an important one. Children around the globe need equal access to education and their teachers need adequate training to meet the demands of today's rapidly changing world. Let's celebrate teaching and learning today as we salute the global teaching profession who are the guides and the backbone of the educational system. 

Happy World Teacher's Day to All those who Inspire and Impact Learning Every Day!