author
Jared Barhite
1840–1921
A late-19th-century school principal and poet, he wrote verse that grows out of classroom life, moral reflection, and a strong belief in education. His best-known collection offers a glimpse of a teacher trying to turn daily work into something larger and more lasting.
1 Audiobook
Our Profession and Other Poems
by Jared Barhite
About the author
Born in 1840 and dying in 1921, Jared Barhite is remembered today for Our Profession and Other Poems, a collection published in 1895. The book identifies him as principal of the Third Ward Grammar School in Long Island City, New York, which gives his writing a clear setting in the world he knew best: schools, teachers, students, and the ideals of learning.
Barhite's poems often mix everyday experience with earnest reflection. Rather than aiming for grand literary showmanship, his work tends to speak plainly about duty, character, nature, and the value of education. That directness is part of his appeal now: the poems feel closely tied to the life of a working teacher who cared deeply about what teaching meant.
Little widely available biographical detail survives beyond those basic facts, but his writing leaves a distinct impression. Through his poems, Barhite comes across as a thoughtful educator who saw the classroom not just as a job, but as a place where patience, effort, and hope could shape lives.