If I Were the President...

Right now we are in the middle of a poetry unit.  In honor of March Madness, we are having a tournament of our own in the classroom.  The participants in the tournament are famous poems.  Each day we read two different poems to the students and discuss both.  Then we have each table of students vote for their favorite of the two and explain why.  At the end of the day, we tally up all the votes and move the winner forward in the bracket we have displayed on the bulletin board.  The students are really enjoying it!  They come into class and right away look to see which poem won, along with the score.

Two days ago when I subbed, I taught a poetry lesson I learned from one of my professors.  To begin the lesson I read the poem, “If I Were the Principal” by Kenn Nesbitt.  Then I explained that they would be writing a poem about someone being the principal of their school.  They were allowed to write about anyone, including celebrities, cartoons, historical figures, and friends.  I passed out brainstorming sheets and a formatting sheet to help students complete the poem.  They wrote some really creative poems and had a great time writing them.  Here is one I wrote:

 If Kenny Chesney Were the Principal

If Kenny Chesney were the Principal, things would definitely change.

School would be surrounded by swaying palm trees in the sand,

The building would be like a tropical island resort, and

All the desks would be replaced with old blue chairs.

If Kenny Chesney were the Principal,

Teachers would chug along to school in their John Deere tractors,

Teachers would sport farmer's tans, flip flops and sunglasses, and

Teachers would teach students about the "good stuff" in life.

If Kenny Chesney were the Principal,

Students would be told, "Don't blink," because life passes by too fast,

Students would stroll to class in cut-off jeans and cowboy hats, and

Students would live by the saying, "No shoes, no shirts, no problems."

If Kenny Chesney were the Principal,

The staff would consist of friendly island natives,

The janitor would play security guard at Kenny's school assemblies, and

The lunch ladies would serve leftover pizza from the night before.

If Kenny Chesney were the Principal, that's what we'd do.

Every day would be a musical adventure and a relaxing vacation too!

By:  Stephani Bennett