What Learning Leaves: New Edition

by Taylor Mali

Called "a ranting comic showman and a literary provocateur" by The New York Times, Taylor Mali writes eloquently and entertainingly about his experiences in and out of the middle school classroom. Bob Holman, the man who brought the poetry slam to New York City, calls Mali's poems "clear, funny, appealing, accessible. And smart." "What Learning Leaves" includes many of Mali's greatest hits, including "Like Lilly Like Wilson," "Totally L Whatever," and "What Teachers Make," which has been viewed on YouTube over five million times and is called "the most forwarded poem in the world."

Genres: Poetry, Teaching, Education, Humor, Nonfiction

91 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2002

About the author

Taylor Mali is a former teacher and classically trained actor who now makes his living as a professional poet. One of the original poets to appear on the HBO series Russell Simmons Presents Def Poetry, he is a veteran of the poetry slam and the author of What Learning Leaves and several spoken word CDs and DVDs. He lives and writes in New York City. For more information, visit www.taylormali.com"

Reviews

[Alicia · Rating 5 out of 5]

He's an amazing poet and an amazing performer. Being able to see him recite some of these poems live doesn't compare to reading them BUT you do have a sense of his style as you're reading the others.

Completely inspirational, sentimental, common-sensical, and innovative.

[Hope · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Book At the Bottom of Your To-Read List
So, I thought that there was a requirement for the challenge to read poetry-- which would have been a challenge for me, since I don’t think I’ve read any poetry since I was in high school. (Confession of the day) In any case, I wanted to read more of Mali’s work, beyond the oft cited “What teachers make” poem. This short collection did not disappoint. He captured so many truths of teaching and working with students. A must read for anyone in education.

[ari · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading Mali's stuff doesn't compare to hearing him recite it. With a penchant for rhythm and acting, he's one of those people that comes across as condescending and patronizing and most importantly... right on the money. He's got the swagger that comes from fighting the good fight. Kind of like the Half Nelson of the poetry world.

[Bonnie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this because it was an all-school read for my daughter's high school. Little did I know what I was in for! As a parent and an educator so many of these poems struck home, to the extent that I hope to share some of them with the other teachers in my school.

[Lynne Vanderveen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think every teacher in the world's just know and love Mali's poem "What Teachers Make." That is certainly where I was introduced to his writing and his spoken-word and poetry slam talents. This is a collection I have read enough times that it feels like returning to an old friend. My favorite poem (along with the one already mentioned) is "The Impotence of Proofreading" which never fails to make me laugh. I can hear a friend of mine as she read it aloud to her college-level World History class with an utterly serious demeanor. The collection is humorous, touching, and real. The only thing better than reading this collection would by to hear Taylor Mali's voice give it life! Teachers will love, love, love this collection, but anyone who remembers their school days or interacts with students will love as well.

[Neil Hepworth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I assume most of us knkow Mali from his old YouTube videos of "Totally Like Whatever" and "Brave Seventh Grade Viking Warrior", but this book shows Mali can hang with the best of the captial-P Poets when he wants to. This is the best collection of poems I've read in quite some time.

Color me thoroughly impressed.

"The Half Tail of Winchester" is a particularly devistating poem, btw.

[Chelsea · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adore Taylor Mali. If you've never heard of him, it's more than worth checking out some of the videos of his live performances on youtube. He's a teacher, and he believes in the profession and its importance whole-heartedly. (Quite seriously, every teacher out there, or anyone who doubts their dedication, should read this poem - or more specifically, see Mali perform it - What Teachers Make.) On top of that, he's fully capable of bringing me to tears in one poem and then hysterical laughter in the next.

[Tammy Schoen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful collection of poetry. Funny...thought provoking and heartfelt. A MUST read for educators. Loved it!

[Ronnie Stephens · Rating 3 out of 5]

Taylor Mali has become the official poet of teachers everywhere. Made famous by his poem, "What Teachers Make," Mali has parlayed his love of education into a worldwide mobilization of teachers. Here we get vintage Mali, the poems that set him apart in the slam community, the def poetry jam work. His attention to detail, his craft, his patience inside the poem - this book is masterful from start to finish.

[Kathryn, the_naptime_reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved the first section of poems all related to teaching and school. They are funny, relatable, creative, different, and what brought me to this little anthology in the first place. The second two sections were good as well. I’m not a huge poetry person usually, but I do like Mali’s style. It was nice to sneak a few poems in here and there when I didn’t have lots of time to sit down and read my novel that I was slogging through.

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are some wonderful poems in this collection, including Mali’s greatest hits. The strongest section for me is the first, “Three-Hole Punches,” the section relating to teaching. I also love the last poem, “Grief Is a Tree.” Some of the poems elsewhere in the collection left me sort of lukewarm, in that “I guess you had to be there” kind of way, though I do wonder whether they might have been more impactful had I heard Mali read them aloud.

[Jaclyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Taylor Mali puts into words how teaching and education feels - something that I often try and fail to do. I love him for that. His word play is exceptionally clever, and I'm glad to have finally started working through my "to be read' shelf at home. There are really good books I've had tucked away for ages.

Happy summer and happy reading--

[Jack · Rating 4 out of 5]

These are some fun poems. Obviously they'd be better live, but you can still feel the rhythm and energy in the words when you read them yourself. I have no idea why anyone ever would read Rupi Kaur when they could read this. The poems are really accessible, fast-reading, and often delightful. The falling in love is like owning a dog poem was a personal favorite (Mali gave me a signed copy).

[Art · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loaned out the original copy of this book I had. So I got the Kindle version to read it again. I love it as much now, as I did then. His voice comes through on the page as strongly as it does on the stage.

[Madeleine Lesieutre · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was so much fun. I sat in the kitchen and read some of the particularly hilarious poems to my mom and brother. They laughed a lot. I laughed a lot. It was a delightful afternoon.

[Lucy Gould · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was probably not the best thing to read when I’m trying to ignore school but nevertheless the poems were really good!

[Judit · Rating 4 out of 5]

2 out of 4 stars is nostalgia though.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first section of this book is exactly what I expected. The third not so much.

[Jeremy Hermann · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'd be lying if I said I didn't have a little bit of a bias towards Taylor Mali. This is the man who made me want to do spoken word in the first place. Ever since watching the poem "What Teachers Make" on Youtube, I have always had a fascination for Taylor and his work, but had yet to purchase any of his work. I got this as a gift today and just finished it! A great quick poetry read that you do not want to miss out on.

Taylor Mali was a teacher (he is about to retire Dec. 30th)and throughout I felt like I was a student in his classroom. I like to think we've all had at least that one cool teacher in school who we liked to visit more frequently than the rest. Based on his poetry, I can tell you that Taylor Mali very much is that teacher.

A good majority of the book is on teaching, which are motivational and sometimes even comical. It even has a few of his spoken word poems:What Teachers Make, Like Lilly Like Wilson, Playing Scrabble With Eddie. It makes you smile because whether your a teacher or have been a student, you can most definitely relate to some of the things Taylor describes in the classroom.

What surprised me the most about this book though is that Mali's trademark is his goofiness and bold attitude, but we are then shown a different side to Mali towards the end of the book. There is a great selection of touching love poems and on loss and grief of the people he's been most closest to. These poems are transcribed better on paper more than they would be in a spoken word piece (my opinion), it's the kind of emotion that I love to see in an author.

But that's what adds to the entire teacher feel of this whole book. By reading this collection of poems, you are stepping into the classroom with Taylor Mali. He sits on the edge of his desk and cracks jokes about other students, encourages you to see the best in your own work, and tell you stories about his own life challenges.

Because teaching does not just come from the lessons that are taught to us in a classroom. Teaching comes from the lessons we learn from our own lives.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

When will I learn that some poetry simply has to be read aloud in order to be appreciated? I was originally going to say that this collection of poetry, while pretty good, is a little uneven. It felt misleading: the title references learning, the cover is a marble composition book, and the first twenty or so poems are about various aspects of teaching and education. Then, all of a sudden, the themes are all over the place: love, life, pets, etc. I don’t have a problem with any of those things as topics for a poem, but just when I was starting to settle in to this collection, I felt like things were turned upside down. The author, who had initially struck me as a strong, confident educator, had morphed into a musing, sometimes-rambling artist-type, and I didn’t care for the second half of the book as much as I did the first. Don’t get me wrong: the second half of this book isn’t bad. It’s far from bad, actually; I just loved the first half, so I was a little disappointed when I got further along.

Want to know why all of that doesn’t bother me so much anymore? I listened to Taylor Mali recite his own poetry, and I feel like I shouldn’t be complaining and instead ought to be singing his praises. Why? The sheer energy and passion that emanates through every word is astounding. He brought tears to my eyes (which then streamed down my face, if I’m being honest). Some people like to write poetry, but he truly is a poet, and a damn good one at that. Sure, I had my favorites from his collection. Who wouldn’t? But he gets about a bazillion bonus points in my book for making his work come to life the way that he does.

Don’t believe me? Look him up on YouTube and see for yourself.

[Brittany · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's Teacher Appreciation Week, so I thought I would highlight a teaching-related title I read recently and really enjoyed. During my previous career as a teacher, I remember watching Taylor Mali recite his poetry on YouTube, and I even purchased some audio versions of my favorites. I saw this title on NetGalley and couldn't resist requesting it and reading it right away.

This collection includes several of my favorite poems:
"Like Lilly Like Wilson"
"What teachers make"
"The the impotence of proofreading"
"Totally like whatever, you know?"
"Falling in love is like owning a dog"

Mali is one of the few writers who can make me laugh on one page and cry on the next. He really has a gift for capturing the experience of being a teacher, and he writes beautiful poems about love, life, and grief as well. I definitely recommend picking this one up, especially if you are a teacher (or if you need a gift for a teacher!). To learn more about Mali or purchase his work, visit his website, taylormali.com.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This collection of humorous poems about the daily experiences of a teacher in his Social Studies classroom is a must-share! Mali shares the humor, frustration, amazement, and sorrow of some of his most memorable moments of teaching. His humor would brighten the subject of poetry for students who find poetry to be boring or "stuffy." the best part is that Mali is a slam poet--his poems are meant to be read aloud! Aside from reading them aloud in class, Mali has his readings recorded and available online. Including slam poetry into a poetry unit can pull young readers into another world and cause them to think differently about poet forms.

I would incorporate Mali into my classroom regularly, perhaps as inspiration or a way to end class on high note!


Interest Level: 4-12
Reading Level: 5
Lexile: N/A

Genre: Poetry, Humor, Performance

[Claudia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh, my. Taylor Mali can make me laugh out loud -- snork is what we call it. He can make me cry out loud and he always makes me grateful I can read. This book contains the classic 'What teachers make,' along with 'The Impotence of Proofreading,' but there's so much more. His teacher poems are so spot-on correct: "...if I ever change the world it's going to be one eight grader at a time." I expected his teacher poetry to be biting and funny and it was...but his love poetry, 'Falling in love is like owning a dog' was touching, and his poetry about his family, especially his parents, broke my heart.

TAYLOR MALI IS MY HERO!

[Margaret Boling · Rating 4 out of 5]

6/30/11 ** Poet/teacher/spoken word artist Taylor Mali delivers humor and grief. His take on teaching and working with kids provides a recognizable portrait.

Divided into three parts - the first part focuses on students and the act of teaching, the second and third on life, love and grief. Teachers should definitely read the first section; those who've lost parents might want to stay away from the last sections, unless you're ready to visit that grief.

If you haven't seen his performances of his teaching poetry, look Mali up on You Tube: you'll laugh, cry, and say, "Yes, he gets why I teach."

[Evie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked this up at a used book sale today. My copy has "Mike" written in a soft blue on the cover, with the author's signature inside. (Mike, why'd you give away your copy?) I just figured it was some poetry on education, and was curious.
What I hadn't realized was that I've heard Mali perform "What Teachers Make," and felt that poem with every ounce of my indignant educator soul. Reading the rest of his student-centered poems was delightful, along with the rest of the collection as well. Just a really excellent find tucked inbetween Classics and Art.

[Alan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Taylor Mali has attitude! Especially a great attitude toward teachers and teaching. His poems go beyond the surface aspects to public school teaching - spelling, exams, needing a pen ... - and dive deep into what its all about - love of learning and personal growth. Watch Mali perform his poems on Youtube.

[Roger · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is brilliant, for the most part. The stuff he writes about what it means to be a teacher is incredibly moving. And then there's Love/Dog paradox. Some of the stuff in the final 1/4 is a little less compelling but still good...until... the final entry when he nails it in a way that will leave anyone who's suffered loss in tears.

[Patricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the poem about kids who use the word "like". As a teacher, I find it helpful to know how he dealt with it with his students. The poems about teaching I liked the best, since I am a teacher too.

It made me realize how much I enjoy working with children, watching them grow and learn until they graduate and leave your sphere of influence.

[Art · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a big fan of Mali's. He has a gift for capturing the experience of a teacher and presenting it in a way that can be understood by just about anyone. I highly recommend this book, especially to my teacher friends.

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got to meet Taylor Mali back in February of this year. He was very cool--opinionated, educated, witty, entertaining--just like his poetry. Every teacher should read this collection of poems. Taylor can also be found on YouTube.