Transitions have been on my mind of late. I have been transitioning on many levels since the beginning of the Summer. What does transition mean in reality? To move from one thing, space, place, position, state to another of these? Surely this is life in and of itself? This brings me back to the liminality, the in-between, the space of the threshold. When I move through the archway, what happens to me? Ugh, no this is too philosophical, I am only trying to say that I have moved from being a teacher, to being a Principal. That I have lost loved ones over the past few months. That I have been neglectful of writing my blog. It has been months. And yet, it is also a question of authenticity. Can I continue a blog about teaching and writing if I am no longer given the title of “teacher”? Does my changed status affect my ability to share stories of learning and creating. I hope not, so, I am going to try it nonetheless.

So, yes, transitions. They are always already happening. See, I do not escape the philosophical. My students experience them almost on a daily basis. They are transitioning from childhood to adulthood and the move can be chaotic. I tell them that I see their frustrations – here they are given the responsibilities of adulthood, such as, getting jobs, learning to drive, more household chores, harder classwork, watching siblings, packing lunch, and so on. And yet, they have very few of the freedoms. They do not set their own schedules, their daily routines are in the hands of others, they cannot choose their locations, the don’t always get to make the decisions regarding their life, they may not even get to decide what to do with the money they make. Sadly, looking at this list, I realize how little freedom any fully developed adult gets either…. Any who, once they enter into high school they are barreling down the road to their future, and conscious or not, it’s hard not to reach for the brakes. So they do.

Escapism is the biggest offender on our campus – hiding in the restrooms, sleeping in class, trying to distract the teacher with irrelevant but interesting questions, going for bathroom breaks that lead them to the cafe, the theatre, the pool table, another classroom. Anything, any thing, but facing the task at hand. Some say they are bored, some say “when will I need this?”, some say “I do not care.” But under that, what are the currents?

So, what form do I choose to examine transition? I have searched the poetic dictionaries for transition poems, and the word Volta keeps popping up. It is Italian for “Turn.” Perhaps its more well-known use is in the Sonnet form, where the volta occurs at the end of the Sonnet, lines 13 and 14. The author will transition from a problem to a solution or acceptance of said problem. It is usually indicated with a “but” or an “and yet.”. Think Shakespeare’s Sonnet 130 – where the narrator gives a pretty damning list of characteristics of his “mistress” followed by “And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare/ As any she belied with false compare.”

As I have already done a Sonnet, I looked for other poems that utilized a volta and came across a Korean form called a Sijo. It is a three line poem, each line containing 14-16 syllables, 44-46 syllables in total. There is a pause in the middle of each line. The first line introduces the idea or story, the second line contains the Volta or Turn, and the third line provides closure.

A Gift?

I’ve felt their loss keenly, scraping surely at my insides.
And yet, I have not time, no space to mourn for my people.
Perhaps this is their gift, a keeping busy to push through the pain.