To warm up for our 30-poem celebration (and to test the website), let’s try a pre-challenge poem. Here is today’s poem inspiration but, as always, the prompt is only a suggestion, just poem any way you wish.
Inspiration: Imagine you are grown up and have a child who is about to start a grade/job/experience/sport/activity you are in now. What advice would you give him/her to navigate, be successful, enjoy, stay true to the self?
Guidance: If you are in middle or high school, write the advice you wish someone would have given you about “surviving” and thriving in, say, 7th grade or freshman year; you might explore any or all of these angles: learning, friends, romance, fun, balance, changing relationship with parents, sports, clubs, clothing, fitting in, standing out, body changing, mind changing, how to be successful/happy/confident, etc.
Craft this in the form of a letter — Dear Son — in the form of a list — Top Ten Tips for Surviving X, free verse, or in the form of a haiku, sonnet, or quatrain.
Include examples from your own experiences. Try using the line, “believe me;I know” like in this example from Sarah Kay’s advice for her future daughter on being a woman:
I see skies of blue
And beautiful roses too
What beauty it has
You will not fail this class,
It’s okay, you will pass.
When writing your essays,
“Just finish this one last phrase.”
When you stay up all night,
It can give you quite a fright.
When you turn it in late,
At least it’s done, no debate.
Just do your assignments,
It’s not like you’re in science
Advice for English 2
Everything has multiple interpretations
Poems are meant to be annotated
Everyone has the power to become an excellent writer
Time management is key
Minds and perceptions shall be altered permanently
You might walk in feeling small, terrified, and inadequate
But you will walk out understanding more than you ever thought possible
P.S. Less talking, more writing
Stressful
Life can be stressful.
Its okay to feel down.
But be hopeful.
Just listen to the sound.
Life can be stressful.
Everyone feels the same.
You can be a rebel.
Its what keeps us sane.
Life can be beautiful.
But thats up to you.
It can also be special.
Because the world is too.
When you stumble upon the cryptic,
You decipher it,
When you come across an enigma,
You solve it,
When you need to suspend yourself into the mind of another,
Prepare yourself,
So you may understand
The thoughts of the long departed,
The wise of the past,
Both Living and Dead.
Dear rising 9th graders
If you enjoy reading and analyzing poetry, you’re welcome here.
Prepare to be confused.
If you enjoy creative writing,
Prepare to be surprised.
If you enjoy reading a story that’s only a paragraph long,
Prepare to have your mind blown. It’s not what you’d expect from 1 paragraph
If you enjoy writing research papers,
That’s a joke. No one likes writing research papers.
Just take Mrs. Currie’s class.
It’s great.
At the close of day
The dawn of night
Villains roam
An unsettling sight
Only in being the day
The evil will roam away
Though the day be good,
It is not as humble as it could
It is bright.
Let your deeds be your light
And when dark appears, light will ignore it,
But stay
The evil wil roam away.
In class you’ll
Unleash
Things you didn’t know you had
Believe
Believe that the impossible IS possible
And no challenge is too great
Never Give Up
You have a lot at stake (your future)
But, if you believe you can do it
You can get through it
‘Cause I believe in you
And so should you.
-Taebuch 0332017
So powerful
This is advice for best friends going to the same school.
Best friends are long time friends,
they cheer each other up.
Best friends forgive and forget,
even when times get tough.
Best friends love each other like siblings,
They are sometimes closer.
Best friends give each other advice,
and they listen.
If you can write a lot
Even if your hand is cramped,
If you can wing it through the semester
And “do your homework”,
If you can do your homework
In the class that it’s due,
If you can lie about something
And your able to pull it off,
You can and will be able,
to get through your class.
you can get through
the stress of a normal day
you can do just a
a little bit more work
you can be more creative
and subject to constructive criticism
you can write
one more paragraph
you can make it
you can pass.
I like this!!!!!!
Excellent work. I especially love the last stanta.
Dear future 8th Graders,
Romance, Be yourself, don’t be someone else, risk of being broken
Friendship, Keep them close, some “friends” aren’t friends
Parents, respect them!
Teachers, respect them as well
Learning, try your hardest
Clothes, wear appropriate clothes…
Clubs, try them out
Sports, they’re life
Lunch, chicken is life too
Hallways, be sneaky and walk quietly
Balancing time, there’s not enough time…
Homework, pointless but do it!
Organizing, be neat
Just be yourself.
Dear Future 8th grader,
Don’t do love, they will take away your time and money,
but if it’s a good relationship, be good for your honey!
Keep your old friends, but also make new,
but try to have close friends that don’t make you blue!
Listen, listen to your parents and hear to what they have to say,
Respect your teachers, though you may not not agree with them, but okay!
Stay attentive in class and pay attention to your grades!
Wear clothes that makes you, maybe a sweater or a pair of shades!
Join the clubs that takes your interest,
if you don’t want waste your time being a pest!
Join the sports that makes you happy,
run and jump from feeling crabby!
Eat, food is delicious,
In the halls, be quiet and safe, don’t be vicious!
Time is precious,
Wasting it is getting a bit ambitious.
Do your work, do your work!
Cause then you’ll be feeling like a jerk!
Organize to find your stuff!
Things get lost and you get stumped!
Dear future 8th grader, let me give you some advice:
Always stay loyal to your friends
Never dress the way someone else wants
Remember to always put your education first
Don’t get in to drama because it will cause problems
Try your best on homework
Join clubs and sports to meet new people
Be respectful to your teachers
Keep you locker and binder clean
In the hallways don’t be loud
In lunch clean up and stay at your table because you might get something in return
If you have sports or clubs you have to learn to balance your time wisely
Some advice for future eighth graders,
as for romance, don’t let it effect school.
as for friendship, quality not quantity,
as for parents, they want the best for you,
as for teachers, they want to help you learn,
as for learning, it’s important for your future,
as for clothes, don’t let others impact who you are,
as for clubs, they help you get involved,
as for sports, good as long as schoolwork gets done,
as for lunch, don’t goof off much,
as for the hallways, get to class on time,
as for balancing time, it can keep you happy and can help you get work done,
as for homework, make sure it gets done,
as for organizing, it helps stuff get done on time
Dear future 8th grader ,
Let me give you some advice
some advice . . .
Romance : Be loyal
Friendship : not be friends with fake people
Parents : Always listen to them
Teachers : Respect them
Learning : Always pay attention in class so you can better grades
Clothes : don’t wear clothes that can show your skin
Clubs : try to join
Sports : try out for sports no matter if your bad or good just try
Lunch : if you don’t like the food bring your own lunch
Hallways : be quite
Balancing time : make time for things your going to do
Homework : always have time to do your homework
Organizing : always be organize so you can find things easier
Dear future 8th graders, Here is some advice for you ,
Make good friends and always stay loyal to your friends
Listen do your parents and don’t lie to them,
If you lie you will lose their trust
Don’t disrespect your teachers and listen to what they say
Listen in class and don’t cause disruptions
Don’t let other people make fun of what you wear and let them bring you down,
Try to join some clubs because if you don’t you will regret it and you always have the chance of making new friends
Try some sports you like, you might have fun
Behave in lunch and stay in your seats, when you behave you won’t have to have assigned seats
Stay on the right side of the hall or you’ll cause a traffic jam!
Balance your time the best you can, because you will have a lot of projects
Do your homework or it can bring your grades down, you will pile more work it you don’t do your homework
Organize your things or you will end up losing everything
Dear 8th grader
Let me give you some advice all ways be kind to teachers and do all you work
Dear future 8th grader, let me give you some advice
always do your homework
never go to the bathroom at school
remember to do homework
focus on learning
don’t be mean to the teacher
always raise your hand
Dear future 8th grader,
let me give you some advice:
Always try your best and do your homework
Never disrespect the teachers
Remember to get your priorities done
Don’t procrastinate with your work
Try getting involved in as much as you can
Think about what your doing before you do it
Over all, you do you
Some advice, for future eighth graders,
as for romance, don’t let it get in the way of school,
with friendship, quality not quantity,
your parents, they want the best for you,
your teachers, they want to help you learn,
learning, it’s really important for your future,
clothes, don’t let others impact how you express yourself,
clubs, they help you get involved in school,
sports, good as long as schoolwork still gets done,
at lunch, don’t goof off too much,
in the hallways, try to get to class on time,
be sure to balance time, can help you get stuff done and keep you organized and happy,
homework, make sure it gets done,
organizing, can help you get things done on time
Dear 8th graders
worry about school first then romance
keep your circle small
be kind to your parents
listen to the teachers
do your work
be appropiate
get included in clubs
try your best
have fun
turn in homework on time
Some advice for 8th graders
Find good friends. Some friends leave you, but that just means that they werent a real friend.
Dear future 8th grader
With romance, be smart
With friendship, choose wisely,
With parents, be respectful
With teachers, be bold
With learning, don’t take it for granted
With clothes, be modest
With clubs, try all of them
With sports, give it all you got
With lunch, eat healthy
With hallways, keep to the right
With balancing time, know what needs to get done
With homework, turn everything in
With organizing, use supplies to separate things
Over all… you do you boo.
Dear future 8th graders,
let me give you some advice:
Pay attention, it makes you smart.
Do your work.
Friends aren’t always going to be around.
Listen to your parents and teachers, if they disrespect you be the better person.
Romance isn’t for everyone at this age.
Things happen for a reason.
Dear future 8th grader,let me give you advice
dont ever hang with fufu a** people.
All ways do good in school it might get boring but think about your future.
dont ever do drugs. dont disappoint your mom
Dear future 8th grader, let me give you some advice:
Always pay attention and do your homework.
Never talk back.
Remember that things take time.
Dont worry it will all come out good.
Try new things like sports.
Think about you actions.
And be your self.
Dear future 8th grader,
romance, it’s up to you
when it comes to friendship,
have a close, small group of friends,
or have many friends that you can trust,
for parents and teachers,
BE RESPECTFUL!!
learning, be responsible,
and feel ready to learn,
Clothes; follow the dress code,
but wear whatever you want,
join sports and clubs,
be active!!
When it comes to lunch,
be quiet so you will get the chance to sit with your friends,
stay quiet in the hallways,
and don’t annoy others,
get your work done,
do your homework,
and finally stay organized.
Good Luck in 8th Grade!!
Dear future 8th graders,
Only get involved in romance if you have the time and can manage your priorities,
Your friendships are important so pick wisely,
With your parents show respect-do not give attitude,
With teachers listen to what they are saying to you,
When learning stay focused,
Wear what you want to wear,
In the hallways make sure to get to class on time,
For sports try your hardest and never give up,
To balance time know what needs to get done and what doesn’t,
Get your homework done,
For organization use folders and clean out your binder,
Most of all do not let anyone change who you are.
Dear future 8th grader,
let me give you some advice:
Always have close and trustworthy friends,
Never bully or let someone down,
Remember that things take time,
Don’t worry or stress it will all work out,
Try new things, like sports and clubs,
Think about your actions and how they will affect others,
And overall be yourself!
Dear future 8th graders
just dont get involved in romance its not good
keep your friends close
LISTEN to your parents
RESPECT your teachers
focus on your learning
wear your own style of clothes
join clubs an get involved
try out as many sports as possible
Dont buy school lunches they are mutated
walk fast and on the right side in the hallway
get to class on time
DO your homework
And finally stay orginized
I love this poetry challenge and would like to challenge myself to write a poem a day! What an opportunity!
Wait for a relationship untill highschool
Always keep the friends tha will lift you up
eat food
wear depdorant
listen to learn, learn to succeed
Dear future 8th grader,let me give you some advice
Always follow your dreams and be yourself
Its better to have 2 good quality friends than 20 who dosen’t care about you
Dear future Eight Grader,
let me give you some advice:
Always know that you are beautiful and that mirrors are stupid pieces of glass the see nothing.
Never think that you have to act stupid to be loved by someone.
Always know that you should only be with people that make you feel equal to them.
Not better, and not worse.
Remember that what people told you when you were little, might not be who you turn out to be, and that’s okay.
Don’t compare yourself to others, and don’t try to be someone else because that’s not who you are.
Try to find new things in life that make you happy rather that dwelling on the past.
dear future 8th
Always keep your circle small
Never push your parents away
Remember to be nice to people
Don’t cry over a guy not worth your tears
Try to get good grades
Think about your future
Be happy just the way you are
Don’t change yourself for people
Be yourself
Dear future 8th grader, let me give you some advice:
always know someone has your back
never think you need a bf/ gf to be happy
Remember all you need is a couple good friends
Dont stress everything will be okay
Try to always stay on task and be organized
Think about how all your hard work will pay off at the end!
Be a 8th grade graduate
Dear future 8th grader, let me give you some advice
Always be yourself, you don’t want lots of low quality friends,
you want a few high quality ones
Never be desperate, the “one” will come to you
Remember, track and field is the family you never knew you had
Don’t walk on the left side of the hallway
Try new things you will never know you love something until you try it
I like the advice you gave to just be yourself. That is the key in middle and high school.
If i had a son or daughter
transitioning into 7th grade,
specifically a boy i would tell
him to go to school and introduce
himself and most importantly
tell him to try to make friends.
i would also tell him to be on his
best behavior.and lastly to have
fun! I say this because i wouldn’t
want him to sit alone, and that
could lead to depression and that
could lead to suicide and i wouldn’t
want that to happen.
If I had a son or daughter in 7th grade, I would tell him/her to make sure they know who they’re friends with and to keep their circle small because there’s people that turn on you and aren’t really your friends. Also to try to get good grades in school. I would tell my kid that they’re not allowed to date. Also to not grow up too fast.
I love the advice about keeping your circle small. I agree.
If I had a daughter going into 7th grade, I would tell her to study, do all her homework,
pay attention to her peers at school, and ask for help when needed.
I would also tell her not to trust friends because at the end some of them leave.
They would pretend to be your friend but when you’re not with them, they would talk bad things about you.
I strongly agree. I’m a ninthgrader, and studying and completing your homework is an important foundation for an excellent education. Great job!
If I had a son going to 7th grade,
I would tell him
never lack,
I would tell him
do your homework,
I would tell him
you better be getting them A’s
and
them
girls,
If I had a son going to 7th grade
i’ll teach him
ways
to get fine girls
and i’ll teach him
ways
to fight..
when i have a son.
I really liked this good job !
If I had a son I would tell him that if they get straight A’s
I will give them like a new phone/price or they can’t get to use any technology until they get their grade up.
If he likes playing sports i will help him make the team in school.
It’s ok to have friends but don’t talk to them during class because you will get in trouble.
I was talking to my friend and they kicked us out so I would say to just talk when the teacher tells you that you can.
I want him to stand out in a smart way.
Don’t use your phone during class because you will get in trouble.
Do not trust any of your “friends”.
If I had a son/daughter going into 7th grade, i would tell him/her to get involved. first i want to say that this will probably turn into a “personal note”. i would tell him/her to get involved, to be in clubs, stand out, be unique. everyone else in this world is already taken and you were made a perfect way, even if it means wearing glasses, being skinny, large in size, short, tall you were made perfect. i would also tell them not to fall into the wrong people like bullies and people who get in trouble. i want to lead them into the path that gets them successful but let them have their decisions. i see that people are getting into relationships which i totally allow because everyone gets a little romantic time by time, but of course there’s nothing wrong with that as long as it doesn’t distract from your work.
I strongly agree with your advice. Every person is beautiful and wonderful in their own right despite their physical appearance.
I agree with this sentence because you have people to talk to, to be really good friends with,
and if you talk to a random person it might make you good friends with them. I disagree because people might be really bad people, and sometimes some people change when they don’t be around their family they have a really nasty attitude.
But my personal opinion that it can for 85% of people.
If I had a son/daughter going into 7th grade,
I would tell them
“good luck,
you’re going to need it”,
” be yourself,
do what you think
is the right thing to do”
I’m the first to comment!!!!
Dear future 8th grade,
The advice i give you is….
Romance is being able to be yourself around that person,
Friendship seeing who your true friends are,
Parents communicate with them,
Teacher make lessons fun for us students so we can learn more,
Learning try you best to get everything in your mind,
Clothes dress appropriate,
Be yourself no matter what and follow your dreams no matter what anyone say
Great advice !
This is a really good poem!
Dear future 8th grader,
let me give you some advice:
Always try your hardest and even when things get tough
good things will come from it even when you feel like giving up.
Never depend on anyone for success,
only you can lead yourself to success
because at the end of the day
you’re gonna be the only one who will be there for the rest of your life.
Remember when it comes to relationships you have to be strong
think of your needs and the other persons needs
and the saying,
“you have to love yourself for other people to love you.”
will not always be true.
sometimes you have to love other people to learn to love yourself
Don’t push anyone who doesn’t want to be pushed
because sometimes pushing them too hard they will fall
Try to help people up
even when you’re down yourself
you can still help people up.
Think about others.
think about yourself
but you have to think of others too
Be cautious, brave, and loving
Try different thing this year.
Dear future 8th grader.
Believe in yourself.
Only trust you and your family.
Get a zip up binder so you dont get booked.
Become wary of the people around you.
Dont affiliate with people you dont need to.
Keep your friends close but keep yourself even closer.
Dear future 8th grader,
Let me give you some advice,
Always wear deodorant
You know you want that spice
Keep axe in your locker
Or perfume in your bag
And guys,
PLEASE never sag
Dear future 8th grader,
let me give you some advice:
Always make sure you turned in all your homework
Never be rude to people or exclude people for any reason
Remember that you don’t need a boyfriend or girlfriend to be happy
Don’t be afraid to express your inner weirdo
Try to worry less about other people’s opinion of you
Think about what you want to be when you grow up
Be unstoppable
I like your overall message of being yourself.
remember future 8th graders
never trust anyone always relie on your self because everyone is fake
they will leave you in a second one minute there your bestfriend the next
there talking about you to someone you dont like
if someone is being fake leave them because at the end of the day
its you and only you because they can always say sorry and do the same exact thing
over and over again
me i only rely on myself and my siblings
because they are the ones whos gonna truly have my back
but its not a bad thing to trust someone because everyone needs someone to talk to
but before you call everyone your bestfriend know whos really there for you
If I had a daughter entering 8th glade.
If i had a daughter i would tell her everyday to be herself, dont worry about others.
If I had a Daughter I would tell them my break up advise. ( Chocalate and ice cream can help but arent the answer =). )
If I had A Daughter I would let her know I used to listen to her music too!
If I had a daughter I would tell her I love her everyday
If I Had a daughter I would give my life to here
dear future 8th grader
when talking to girls
never mess up
in friendship
don’t talk bad things about each other
watch out with parents
they’ll always get into your business
watch out with teachers to and their homework
Great. I love it because it’s personal and quite funny and perfect for middle school boys.
Dear future 8th grader,
Let me give you some advice:
Always get school work out of the way first because you will fall behind easy if you dont
Never worry about having a boy/girlfriend because that isn’t your biggest priority in life as a 13/14 year old
Remember that someone does love you and you are worth more than you may think
Don’t get upset if you loose someone who ay have been your best friend in present years because you will find many other wonderful people
Try to stay on top of organizational things so you know where everything is because you will always find things in life easier
Think about other peoples feelings when talking to others
Be a good peer to everyone you meet
Dear future 8th grader,
let me give you some advice:
Always do your homework and get to class on time.
Never get into fights and don’t ditch class.
Remember there is never enough food in the cafeteria.
Don’t hang out with the wrong people.
Try to keep away from relationships.
Think about your future.
Be a person that makes you proud.
Dear Future 8th grader,
let me give you some advice:
Always try your best
Never give attitude to your parents
Remember to always stay true to you
Don’t leave everything to the last minute
Try out for sports (mainly soccer)
Think good about yourself
Be the person you want to be, everyone is unique in there own way
Dear future 8th grader let me give you some advice
Always do your homework
Never disrespect you’re teachers
Remember you’re true friends
Don’t get caught with you’re honey bun
Try not to be someone you’re not
Think before you do
Be the person you really are
Dear Future 8th grader
Let me give you some advice
Always keep to yourself because not everyone is your friend
Never put anything over your education and success
Remember to have fun and try new things while it lasts
Don’t wear inappropriate clothes girls, it’s not cute.
Try out for soccer
Think about how much fun 8th grade will be.
Be who you want to be, no ones perfect.
Dear future 8th grader let me tell you some advice
Always keep a small circle of friends
Never trust anyone
Remember to listen to your parents
Dont mess up relationships
Try not to get i trouble
Think about your family
Be aware if someones talking mess
Try something new this year
3/24/17
Dear future 8th grader
if you have a romance keep it secret,
your friendships make sure they are your friend for the right reason,
with teachers you are always wrong,
when learning PAY ATTENTION!!!!!!!!,
wear comfortable clothing,
in lunch be careful and choose you seet wisely,
in the hallways be quick,
to balance time get a watch
Just do your homework
for organizing use multiple folders
and most of all be u