The Terrapin, a Reflection
This post is part of a broader series where Full Table contributors reflect on Wendell Berry’s work to celebrate his life and legacy. The list of reflections can be found here.听
The Terrapin
The terrapin and his house are one.
Though he may go, he鈥檚 never gone.
He鈥檚 housed within, from nose to toe:
A door, a floor, and no window.
There鈥檚 little room; the light is dim;
His furniture is only him.
He doesn鈥檛 speak what he thinks about;
Where no guest comes, a thought鈥檚 a shout.
He pokes along; he鈥檚 in no haste:
He has no map and no suitcase;
He has no worries and no woes,
For where he is is where he goes.
Ponder this wonder under his dome
Who, wandering, is always home.
For the past few years, I have found myself noticing turtles. I buy fabric decorated with turtles, jewelry shaped like turtles, and turtle-shaped pottery. You see, I have a new member of my family: my daughter-in-law, who owns a turtle. Torte, who is about the size of a dinner plate, takes up an unreasonable amount of space in their home. She has a three-level, 150-gallon aquarium with a basking area and a sand pit for laying eggs.
When Wendell Berry passed away, I was reading his poetry and was drawn to “The Terrapin.”听Berry expresses such love for God鈥檚 creation and such appreciation for common, simple things. The terrapin鈥檚 humble home and gentle, unrushed manner speak to me about my need to slow down, trust God, and appreciate the small and wonderful things in my life.
Recently, one way I have been trying to improve my teaching is by incorporating more 蝉肠丑辞濒茅 into my classes; s肠丑辞濒茅听is the practice of contemplative wonder in learning. In each unit of statistics, we have a lab in which we count M&M鈥檚, play games, and discover mathematical properties. These lab days give students the opportunity to ask deep and meaningful questions about the statistical concepts they have been learning.
In calculus, integrating 蝉肠丑辞濒茅 is more difficult for me. Even though I believe calculus is awesome (in the true sense of the word), I struggle to find lessons that encourage students to pause and be awed by it. The calculus curriculum is more demanding and has less room to budge, so I often wrestle to set aside an entire day for contemplation and wonder.
“The Terrapin” reminds me of the importance of making my classes feel less hurried. Like the terrapin, my students and I need space to slow down, notice, and wonder. Berry鈥檚 poem encourages me to inspire awe in my students and to help them appreciate the wonder of God鈥檚 awesome creation, even in something as ordinary as a turtle or a mathematical idea.
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