Laura is a professor of English, ethnic studies and women and gender studies at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville. She is also a published author of non-fiction and poetry.
In her poem, Kelly Norman Ellis brings to life a vivid picture of the kind of women she was surrounded and brought up by during her childhood in Mississippi. The poem's speaker takes you down south and makes you feel like a guest at the kitchen table by way of her descriptions.
Ask any veteran teacher and they will tell you that the stronger the relationship with the student, the less likely behavioral problems will erupt in the classroom. Good relationships equal good classroom management, pure and simple.