Well-Known Poet, Taylor Mali, Speaks at NS Article and photos by Shelly Newman

Administrators, faculty and staff recently had the privilege to hear and work with one of the most well-known poets of our time, Taylor Mali, on Superintendent’s Conference Day at North Shore Schools. Eloquent, accessible, passionate, and often hilarious, Mr. Mali, is the author of two books of poetry, The Last Time As We Are(Write Bloody Books 2009) and What Learning Leaves (Hanover 2002), and four CDs of spoken word. He studied drama in Oxford with members of The Royal Shakespeare Company and was one of the original poets to appear on the HBO series Russell Simmons Presents Def Poetry and was the "Armani-clad villain" of Paul Devlin's 1997 documentary film SlamNation

The conference focused on “Walking in the shoes of others,” understanding and appreciating the various roles each constituent plays in formulating the fabric of our educational community. Taylor Mali is an advocate of teachers and the “nobility of teaching.” He spent nine years in the classroom and has performed and lectured for teachers all over the world. His New Teacher Project has a goal of creating 1,000 new teachers through "poetry, persuasion, and perseverance." Mr. Mali’s poem, “What Teachers Make,” is renowned and has been translated into different languages and rewritten to suit different occupations. Click on the following link to see Mr. Mali perform “What Teachers Make” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxsOVK4syxU. For more information and videos regarding Mr. Taylor Mali, please visit his website at www.taylormali.com.