Powerful Poem for the Classroom: There’s a Hole in My Sidewalk
Links for Poem in Different Contexts:
Transcript
Melissa Milner 0:09
This week, I want to share a poem that I first heard years ago when I was taking a nutrition, mindfulness eating class. It's called There's a Hole in My Sidewalk, an autobiography in five short chapters, and it's by Portia Nelson. I just recently Googled to find it again, and saw that it is often used in addiction programs, which will make sense when you hear it. In my Google search, I learned a little about the poet as well. I'm going to read what I found verbatim. Portia Nelson, 1920 to 2001, was a renaissance woman, author, singer, composer, lyricist, painter, photographer, and actress. Over the years, she wrote the music and lyrics for many reviews, television specials and films. Portia authored the much loved book, there's a Hole in My Sidewalk, the romance of self discovery, originally published in the 1970s. There's a Hole in My Sidewalk was made into a musical based on the book and Portia directed, created the music and lyrics, and performed in the production at the York Theatre in Manhattan. This amazing poem has been praised by psychotherapists, Meta physicians, and legions of fans from every walk of life. It is used in numerous 12 Step substance abuse programs, and has been quoted in such diverse books as The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying and the preface of My Lives, Roseanne 's best selling autobiography. It also appears on a poster in Dr. McGuire's office, Robin Williams, in the film Good Will Hunting. John Gray PhD, author of Men are from Mars and Women are from Venus says There's a Hole in My Sidewalk explains in a simple and concise way, how life works. It is full of practical wisdom that will allow you to embrace and change your life.
Melissa Milner 2:07
So why this poem? Why am I sharing it? It seems like a great poem for many reasons to share on The teacher As... One is maybe for older students related to any repeated mistakes they've made in their lives. And what comes to mind right away when hearing the poem is it would be great for students who give up too easily and don't have a growth mindset. Instead, they avoid work. They don't advocate for themselves, and eventually in older grades some go down self destructive paths. I also think teachers in different stages of their career will relate to this poem as well. First thing that comes to mind is making changes to build a better work life balance. Learning that it's okay to say no and not over commit, and set aside time for yourself. The poem walks through the process of making any big change in your life. I love the recognition of responsibility as the poem goes on, and how each time the person fixes the situation quicker than the time before, once they're capable of acknowledging it. I'm going to read the poem. And then I hope you head to this episode's webpage on theteacheras.com where I'm going to share links to the different contexts in which I found this poem when I recently Googled it. I hope this poem helps you if you're in a place of needing it.
Melissa Milner 3:26
Chapter One: I walk down the street, there is a deep hole in the sidewalk. I fall in. I am lost. I am hopeless. It isn't my fault. It takes forever to find a way out.
Melissa Milner 3:40
Chapter Two: I walked down the same street. There is a deep hole in the sidewalk. I pretend I don't see it. I fallen again. I can't believe I'm in the same place. But it isn't my fault. It still takes a long time to get out.
Melissa Milner 3:56
Chapter Three: I walk down the same street. There is a deep hole in the sidewalk. I see it is there. I still fall in. It's a habit. My eyes are open. I know where I am. It is my fault. I get out immediately.
Melissa Milner 4:16
Chapter Four: I walk down the same street. There is a deep hole in the sidewalk. I walk around it.
Melissa Milner 4:25
Chapter Five: I walked down another street.
Melissa Milner 4:30
For my blog transcripts of this episode and links to any resources mentioned, visit my website at www.theteacheras.com You can reach me on Twitter and Instagram @melissabmilner and I hope you check out The Teacher As... Facebook page for episode updates. Thanks for listening. And that's a wrap