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This New Year's poem inspires me to try new things every year. Often times, I feel uneasy about trying new things since I don't know what to expect. Every year, when I read this poem, I realize that new things bring amazing new opportunities to my life.

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This poem is dedicated to ALL my students I currently have, and the students I've had the past 15+ years. Keep working hard and your future will be bright! Remember, a challenge is an opportunity in disguise and a test of your strength.

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My family inspired me to write this metaphor poem. The garden is very unique and always keeps me calm, much like my family does. They inspire me to do my best, so I wanted to dedicate a poem to them that shows how we are all unique with purpose.

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Well, child, I'll tell you:
Life at school isn't always fair.
It has rules you have to follow.
Things that need to be done.
It's not a party!
Free time.
But all this time, I'm working,
And making copies,
And grading papers.
And typing emails until dark.
So, child, don't you sit there.
Don't you sit there and do NOTHING.
'Cause I'm not in paradise!
I'm still goin' on a level 100,
And life at school isn't always fair!

I was inspired by the poem, "Mother to Son" by Langston Hughes. I wanted to express a message to my students about hard work in class. Although we have "fun" at school, the intended purpose of school is to learn, so every moment cannot be fun. There are days I just want to stay home and do nothing too, but that is not reality! My message to my reader is to come to school ready to learn and do your best, EVERY DAY.

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My daughter inspired me to write this poem. I wanted to express how active she is and some of the things she/we enjoy doing together.

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As adults, we see this on a regular basis on the roads and sadly, the issue continues. I wrote this poem to express my frustration towards distracted drivers on the road! Nothing can be more important than your life and the life of others on the road. Be wise and vigilant to others that may not be so considerate on the roads!

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This poem was inspired by Kenn Nesbitt's Homework, Oh Homework! poem during the pandemic and online teaching. That year, I taught online the ENTIRE year, and it was the toughest, most rewarding year! I've NEVER worked so hard in my life! I really love the rhythm of this poem and wanted to write a silly poem during the holidays that would put a smile on my students' face on Zoom! :)

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Family
Loud, Silly  Laughing, Singing, Dancing   Creating memories, Always inspiring
Creating, Building, Cooking
Active, Loving, Supportive
Best Family Ever

We are a silly family! Sometimes, we do things that embarrass each other, but we are as unique as any other family! We love and support each other through thick and thin, so it does not matter what anyone else thinks of us.

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Thanksgiving is around the corner and that inspired me to write this poem! I LOVE Thanksgiving more than Christmas! We just really enjoy our family and friends without any gifts at all. We laugh, we eat, and we REPEAT! Family, friends, and plenty of food are the best gifts of all!

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I wrote this poem because I wanted to express how much I'm learning to love camping, mostly for the campfires! That is the best part about camping! I really enjoy sitting around the campfire with family and friends while we enjoy delicious, warm, mourth-warming s'mores!

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Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech inspired me to write about my personal hopes and dreams for this world. Sometimes, when I watch the news on T.V. or read the news online, it saddens me to hear about the awful choices young people make to ruin their lives. I hope and dream that EVERYONE has at least one super hero in their life to guide them in the right direction.

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I wrote this poem on Veteran's Day to honor our BRAVE military men and women who make so many sacrifices for us! Thank you all for your service to protect our freedoms in America!

Everything to everyone.
Bright.
Success.
Glory.
Strong.
Solid.
Steady.
True to the core.
Sacrifice.
Honor.
Proudly take a stand for peace.
The American Soldier.

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My Smartphone Isn't Very Smart by Kenn Nesbitt

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My Smartphone Isn't Very Smart by Kenn Nesbitt

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I can definitely relate to this speaker's frustration when it comes to technology! There has been many moments in my life when my phone died when I really needed it. Once I got lost in the country roads and my phone died. I think I drove around for almost an hour. Luckily, I had a full tank of gas! That was a long day, but I eventually made it home.

I think this poem has a humorous form/structure. In the first stanza, the poet uses personification to describe the phone as dumb, as if it were something that could be dumb. I think the poet wrote this funny poem to express frustration with using the smartphone, but at the end, it was funny to know that all the complaints about the phone was because it needed to be charged, so it was dead. I guess the phone is only as smart as the phone's user since it has to be fully charged for it to work!

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When I read this poem, it made me think about how so many people in the real world are mistreated due to various differences. I see it on the news all the time! Differences should be embraced and encouraged! Can you imagine what it would be like if EVERYONE looked the same? BORING! I love that everyone looks different and are unique in their own way.

The theme of this poem is that there is "No Difference" when the lights are turned off because we are all humans! When it is dark, you cannot judge or treat people based on their looks, size, or wealth. In the last stanza, the speaker provides a solution to the lyical poem by saying that maybe the solution to all of the world's problems or troubles may be for God to make it dark by turning off the lights. I also like how the poet uses similes to emphasize that when the lights are turned off, the size, wealth, and color of individuals is irrelevant!

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Homework, Oh Homework by Shel Silverstein

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Homework, Oh Homework by Shel Silverstein

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I chose this poem because I have mixed feelings about homework! As a parent and teacher, I love it! It helps students practice skills they should know from class. It also helps parents know what students are learning. I can see how students may not like it though. It does take away from their free time at home, but they should still have plenty of free time even with homework. IF homework takes too long, a timer should be used or other privileges can be taken away.

In this poem, the poet uses a humorous form to express how he feels about homework. I know the poet is using a humorous form because in lines 8-10, he states that he'd like to "blow it away to bits" which shows how much he hates homework. I also like the way the poet dedicates all of stanza 2 to show how he'd rather risk his life with "a man eating shark" or inflict pain than complete the homework his teacher assigns. I do think it's a little dramatic, but I think he gets his point across pretty well by using hyperboles throughout the poem, especially in stanza 2.

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One of my favorite seasons is fall because of the changing colors of the leaves. When I step outside and see piles of red, orange, brown, and yellow leaves, I immediately want to create a huge pile and just roll in it!

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I remember feeling this way when I had to take exams in college! I quickly discovered that coffee not only gives me energy, but it actually calms me down too.

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I chose this poem because it made me laugh out loud! As a teacher, I hear a lot of excuses as to why a student does not have his/her homework. I think I'd gladly take the slobbered homework even if it was completed by the dog! It'd be one smart dog too!

This poem is a humorous form since a dog completing homework is silly and unrealistic. The poet creates a funny mood/tone throughout the poem with rhyming in the 2nd and 4th lines in each stanza. The poet also uses personification of the dog completing homework to create a silly tone in the poem.