Among Fishes, or Why I Became
an Education Researcher

All fish are created equal.
But fishes? Fishes are otherwise.
Some swim upriver.
Some swim down and all the way to the Sargasso Sea.
That's how sure they are that they want to go home.
Some are so cute you wish you could take them home with you.
They say some are invading our lakes and ponds like Mongol hordes.
Some concentrate intently for days on building nests of pebbles in sandy
shallows.

Come with me, say teachers, and I will make you well-mannered fish.
I'll teach you how to use semi-colons,
And when to raise your hand in class discussions.
I'll teach you anger management skills and the game of dodgeball,
And plurals, regular and irregular.

I do not know how to school fishes.
They dart away, flashing their scales like laughter,
Swimming in schools of their choosing.
I don't have the patience of true fishers,
Instead, I'll dive in and be an ichthyologist.


Amy Shuffelton


Dr. Amy Shuffelton (abshuffe@students.wisc.edu) likes to swim and likes to spend time with children, sometimes.