Thanks to Rebecca at Sloth Reads for hosting Poetry Friday.
I attended the last district level library media meeting of the year and actually my career (weird to think about). It was led by the ever amazing Jennifer La Garde, AKA Library Girl. We have been lucky librarians this year with her in our district once a month as a mentor. And she’ll be with the group next school year.
So it’s May and Jennifer gets that this is a time to reflect and create. Her project for us started with reading the book, Alma and How She Got Her Name
By JUANA MARTINEZ-NEALm Illustrated by JUANA MARTINEZ-NEAL, in small groups.
We were guided into thinking about what being a Teacher Librarian means to us which led to the Thumbprint Poetry.
Here is my thumbprint guidelines:
This is the poem I did at the meeting. It felt reflective with retirement looming ahead.
It’s kind of an obsessive activity. Today I did one for Michelle Heidenrich Barnes’ DMC.
Stay tuned, this is a form I’ll return and play with more.
Jone Rush MacCulloch 
Beautiful poems Jone, I like the crossing back and forth in the top poem and the waves movements in the bottom. The bottom poem feels like your stretching, growing, and ready to embrace what’s ahead of you, enjoy this new journey!
Thumbprint poems are new to me–what a fun form! I love how yours combined what you saw from your window and also what you’re envisioning for your beyond-teaching life. This must be such a bittersweet time for you–thinking of you!
Congratulations on your retirement and what ever new adventures you will be embarking on. Love your thumbprint poems.
Congratulations on your retirement! May this new phase continue to be filled with creativity! If your thumbprint poems are any indication, it will be! I like them–I can see why you would want to come back to this form.
Wow, Jone! First, many congratulations on your retirement and this transition. I’ll bet it’s bitter sweet. School Librarian is such a rewarding job and career….and Jennifer LaGarde must make you feel refreshed even though you are ending this chapter. That thumbprint poem is awesome. I think kids in my school will love it. I’m taking that one for my digital journal. Enjoy every day as this year winds down. The sweetness of the last days….I so look forward to hearing about new adventures in writing and in life! I know they await you.
I recently saw a similar activity in an art classroom, though the writing was more essay-like than poetry-like. I love the poetry twist, and especially that you created a window poem with the thumbprint form! You’re planning to add it to the padlet, right? What a beautiful way to encapsulate your thoughts about where you are, where you’ve been, and where you’re going.
This is amazing!! And it looks so fun. I will definitely be trying this sometime this summer!
I love this, Jone, have done these with my students, and yes, they are addictive. I hope I can replicate it here at home. The school copier helped enlarge our thumbprints. I love both your poems, know you are capturing each of these last days with some celebration and some bittersweet nostalgia. Enjoy your special time.
I love this post & learning a creative new expression (to me) – thumbprint poetry. Appreciations for opening my heart & eyes. And joyful, joyful about your future world of post-teaching librarian days, although I suspect you will be guiding still.