today at school
we looked up
way up
on top
of the carved art pole
covered in languages
all saying one thing
‘peace’
a hopeful sign
the kinder
could not stop watching
this beautiful bird
as it flew up to the tree
and off into the sky.
—
we may be losing the ability
to understand animals who are not pets or horses.
we have less contact with them.
we don’t (most of us) tend to know even cows or pigs,
let alone bears or wolverines or red tailed hawks.
*-marge piercy
*Marge Piercy (1936) is an American poet, novelist, and social activist. Her work includes Woman on the Edge of Time; He, She and It, which won the 1993 Arthur C. Clarke Award; and Gone to Soldiers, a New York Times Best Seller, a sweeping historical novel set during World War II. Piercy’s work is rooted in her Jewish heritage, social and political activism, and her feminist ideals. She influenced the Women’s Movement through both her writing and her unconventional life.
I didn't have my glasses on.... 
A graceful bird. I can understand the fascination kids would have.
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i’m not sure any of us had ever seen a hawk up close and the way it moved was stunning
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😎 cool
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I’ve only seen hawks at a distance.
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they are an amazing presence –
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Yes, they are. I love to hear their cries, so haunting.
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Too cool! What a wonderful thing for the kids to witness. Thanks for sharing this, Beth!
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we all loved it
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Animals are a great school in themselves to be able to learn from them👏👏😉🤗
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they absolutely are
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We have a hawk that frequents the sanctuary behind our house.. a majestic bird..but he (she) terrorizes all the other birds guarding their nests. I know it’s just circle of life stuff and that nature is cruel blah blah blah.. but I can’t figure out whether I love the guy or loathe him. To take a photo or to shoo him away that is the question…haha!!
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i’ve never seen one so closeup before and it was powerful
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It might help to know how seldom a hawk succeeds…
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I would have looked to see what the child was looking at, then be unable to look away either.
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We were all taken in
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They will certainly remember that day at school.
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They will-
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Hi Beth,
I don’t mean to be too pedantic, but I think it should be “one thing”, not “on thing”.
Signed: “An extra set of eyes” (LoL)
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ty
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I appreciate your eyes, and my tired eyes don’t always see things. changed )
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Beautiful, Beth! Thank you for sharing.
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my pleasure
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A moment of awe and inspiration for the kids for sure. Thanks the the Marge Piercy moment for some more inspiration!
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I can’t imagine not knowing hawks or herons or elk or deer or chickadees or nuthatches or seals or salmon or owls or hummers or … well … this list goes on and on. My community is broad.
The photo looks kinda like a Rough-legged Hawk, but I’m not positive.
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yes, they are all so special. thanks for the heads up, you have much more knowledge of this than I do –
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Important things when identifying hawks: foot color, eye color, wingspan, tail pattern, breast pattern…you know…what they look like. 🙂
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Sorry, I’m a raptor nerd.
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that makes sense –
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So beautiful and it’s wonderful that the kids got to see her.
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we knew it was a special moment and that we were all so lucky. it was exciting to hear them tell their parents about it when they picked them up
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The importance of seeing nature…never more true! We had an Eagle’s nest in a tree right outright our house…I would tell everyone how exciting it was to hear the chicks as they were fed, the massive Eagle perched on the edge of the nest, facing inward to feed the chicks…then waking up to discover what happens as the beautiful bird sits there looking inward…my sidewalk was “painted”! Messy, but that’s nature!
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oh, that is so lucky and amazing
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I’d be just like the kinder, closely watching that magnificent hawk…
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can you imagine how excited they were, absolutely silent, watching?
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some things you can’t learn from a book or computer…
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Right
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Knowing the animals is an important part of my life. I have watched kids watch hawks and that is as beautiful as the hawks themselves. ❤
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You are so right
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we must never lose sight that we too are animals
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Absolutely
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I love hawks.
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I’ve never seen one so close
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Thrilling. One landed on our backyard fence once. I usually see them flying overhead, not that close.
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Isn’t it amazing to see?
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Definitely. 🙂
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We saw a hawk on our walk back to school. It was sitting high in a tree beside the road that leads to the tunnel. So beautiful!
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So amazing
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So cool!
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it really was
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what a gorgeous sight; how fortuitous it was for the hawk to appear at that moment
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We were so lucky
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luck plays a big part but so does alertness: the status os being ready for the unusual, the odd
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Yes, that’s true. What is different in a scene that may be very familiar or you’ve never seen before?
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awesome! I bet that hawk was so pretty! ❤
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it was amazing
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Wow! We love to see a hawk flying, but have never watched one land. Super photo! Did you share that with parents?
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Reblogged this on A Teacher's Reflections and commented:
Fellow teacher, Beth, had the same experience some years ago with her Pre-K class. They have a Peace Pole, and a hawk landed on top. Her children saw the event. We are both very lucky. Beth’s post describes the moment beautifully and poetically.
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Wow, and the hawk visits a peace pole once again…how awesome that both yours and Jennies class got to see one of these beautiful creatures up close 🙂
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amazing, isn’t it?
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It certainly is Beth 😊…
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How have I not discovered your blog before today?
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mutual question – the hawks connected us. nice to meet you –
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Oh yeah
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A wonderful experience and a wonderful post! Hurrah for hawks! I regularly see them soaring above the town where I live (just outside Boston, MA) and I always feel somehow blessed by their presence/existence. And many years ago a small one (maybe a sharp-shinned hawk?) alighted on our back fence for a couple of minutes…
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They are like being in the presence of magic
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Beth, that’s so crazy great you and Jennie both had classroom experiences like this. Wonderful moments for teachers and classes alike.
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Kind of wild, and yes)
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What a great experience for the children, Beth. You are right, modern kids are very far removed from nature.
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Yes, they loved it!
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