What You Missed In Fourth Grade
by Brad Aaron Modlin
[Listen to Audio!]
 Mrs. Nelson explained how to stand still and listen
to the wind, how to find meaning in pumping gas,
how peeling potatoes can be a form of prayer. She took
questions on how not to feel lost in the dark.
After lunch she distributed worksheets
that covered ways to remember your grandfather’s
voice. Then the class discussed falling asleep
without feeling you had forgotten to do something else—
something important—and how to believe
the house you wake in is your home. This prompted
Mrs. Nelson to draw a chalkboard diagram detailing
how to chant the Psalms during cigarette breaks,
and how not to squirm for sound when your own thoughts
are all you hear; also, that you have enough.
The English lesson was that I am
is a complete sentence.
And just before the afternoon bell, she made the math equation
look easy. The one that proves that hundreds of questions,
and feeling cold, and all those nights spent looking
for whatever it was you lost, and one person
add up to something.
About the Author: From Brad Aaron Modlin’s poem,
What You Missed that Day You Were Absent from Fourth Grade, from his book "Everyone At This Party Has Two Names."
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What You Missed In Fourth Grade
How do you relate to ‘I am’ being a complete sentence? Can you share a personal story of a time you felt wholeness in your experience? What helps you remember that you have enough, and that you are enough? |
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| david doane wrote: Mrs. Nelson taught kids important things about living. We could use more teachers like Mrs. Nelson. As for ‘I am’, not only is ‘I am’ a complete sentence, it may be the most importa… |
| Jagdish P Dave’ wrote: Feeling enough and whole is different from having enough or possessing wholeness. It is also different from intellectually knowing what is enough and what is wholeness..According to my understa… |
| Kristin Pedemonti wrote: I am is all we need to be. After all we are human beings. So I am = being a human being. ❤ I have “enough” tattooed on my right wrist, it serves as a daily reminder that I am enough. You ar… |
| Jo wrote: One person, confirmining my asking One Person that I need one person to know that I am a person … Was proof to me “The I Am” really is … And indeed, hears my prayer. I feel whole and … |
| Jo too wrote: So beautiful! More proof, are YOU, that The I AM is living in you! amen … nd thank you! … |
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