Jo's+Poem

Background Music - perhaps starting with The Saints Go Marching In and ending with John Denver's Country Roads (a favorite of hers)

This is a work in progress and you are invited (please!) to lend a hand in anyway - add or delete a word, a line, a stanza. The meter in not consistent and the rhyme comes and goes. If you can fix something please do so. If you have pictures of Jo and they can be used to illustrate a certain stanza please send them and let us know where you want them. If you want to create a video to illustrate a stanza please do so. This is open to anyones creative genius. Thanks Cathy

This is the second draft and it shows improvement, but I welcome any changes. Brenda I love your line, but haven't been able to work it in yet and you are right - it did seem as though she was dying...

This is the third draft and it is getting closer, but anyones ideas are welcome. We need pictures of Joretta. Any pictures that you have please send them to Kathy or me. Bring them and on Monday we will put them on a key. Thanks, Cathy

An Urban Legend

This won’t be simple, It's just too complicated, There’s so much to say, And some won't be placated.

We have learned so very much, O’er the many years. She’s answered so many questions, And allayed so many fears.

Whenever there was a problem, And you would give Joretta a call. She would answer her phone, promptly, With just a hint of a southern drawl.

She never made you feel silly, Even when your question was dumber than dumb. Instead, she’d calmly explain, 'Til you were sure and having fun.

In the early years, We were computer novices at best. Joretta would formulate directions, And realize us toward our quest.

We would often marvel at this, And many teachers still don’t know, That this stuff doesn’t come from a company, It comes from our own Jo.

Each year when we thought that we had learned enough, And were ready for no more. Just a chance to breath and crystallize, What we had learned before.

But things had a way of changing, When Joretta popped through your door. "Are you busy? You’re got to see this", She made us want to know more.

As we learned web page design, By the seat of our pants. The quilter side of Joretta shone through, Using color to enhance.

When we were all done, And thought that it was looking good. She would gently remind us, That content was important too.

Technology improved and Web 2.0 came our way, We found ourselves speaking in tongues. Wikis, ipods, podcasts and blogs, Once more she had us on the run.

And now Joretta is retiring, Leaving us all to do our best. (Leaving us to muddle through all alone) While she gets to kayak, travel, garden and quilt, I doubt she'll stay long in her nest. (We sure hope she still answers her phone)

Like all of our favorite heroines, Jo's legend will grow in the retelling, There once was a teacher in Danbury Whose technology powers were boundless She pushed and cajoled Won over each techno-phobe And sometimes in the night When the atmosphere's just right You can still hear her saying "Y'all OR And to this very day you can still hear her say "Y'all

Kathy L says Here are some random unfinished verses that may or may not fit somewhere:

Well over thirty years ago, To Danbury a young girl came To take a job right out of school Home and family were far away

Turns out she settled here to stay She adapted, that Southern belle To our strange New England accents And wearing shoes as well OR Though she thought we all talked funny And wearing shoes was hell

The library in school was closet-sized With hardly a book in sight And high tech was a record player ???????????????????????

Time was quickly passing She met and married Bill Then Bridget and next Ryan came And they her days did fill

While all of this was happening, The world was changing too It seemed we were all about to be Learning e-lec-tron-ically

How do you know it’s time to go? The answer is pretty clear When your own kids all graduate And hubby at home impatiently waits And the kids you taught way back when Have grandkids of their own And the big buyout removes all doubt And there are books to be read And roads to be traveled That’s how you know And as you go You’ll be smiling like a fool Cause it took 50 years but at last you can say "I'm finally, finally done with school."