My First School Visit Including Student Poems

12/14/2017

Reading my "Bird on the Brain" poem, inspired by Paul Klee's painting with my little Crazy Bird looking on. A bird on the brain can be one great big pain...!

I spoke to 4 classes of 5th graders at Pinecrest Elementary for The Great American Teachin on 11/16/17 involving Ms. Gould, Ms. Galvin, Ms. Sparks and Ms. Boyle. Pinecrest Elementary is in Lithia, FL, a beautiful, very large elementary school in a rural town. It was lovely!

My power point presentation included poem readings, poem performances, and discussion of the poems. The students were welcoming and seemed to be enjoying my talk. Since many of my poems were about animals, I asked the students to do "homework" - write a poem about an animal - any animal - or write a poem in the voice of an animal. Here is the wonderful and heart-warming smorgasbord of poems and pictures that I received, not to mention the lovely letters of appreciation!

Let's start out with a poem by Levi, who wrote:

Love that last line, Levi!

Here's a note and poem by Savannah!

Here's a fun poem by Joleigh!

Nice, Joleigh! Got to get rid of that hair
sittin' everywhere!

And a lovely note and poem from Evan!

That's a good ending, Evan!

Next, a poem by Jacob M.

.That's a wonderful poem, Jacob, and what a long-lived dog! I wish every dog would live that long! :)

Thank you for sending a poem about losing a pet, Eric! This poem is by an anonymous poet and can be found HERE

Thank you, also, to Lenis G. for your lovely note!

Thank you, thank you, Lithia Elementary, for welcoming me. I had a wonderful time sharing my poetry with your 5th graders! And to you 5th graders - you know who you are - keep on writing! All the Best, B.J. Lee

47 Comments

Diane Mayr

12/14/2017 06:57:19 pm

I love, love, love your cat ears! You look quite comfortable with the kids--congratulations on a successful visit!

B.J. Lee link

12/14/2017 08:37:57 pm

Thank you, Diane! During my first presentation, I forgot to take the cat ears off and so wore them through the entire presentation, not just the cat poem. Ah well....

Linda Baie link

12/14/2017 08:38:07 pm

"Life has many facets/the earth is only one". Wow, B.J. that final poem is awesome, and the others are thoughts into poetry. How great that students worked hard to express their thinking. You look cute with those 'ears'!

B.J. Lee

12/15/2017 05:40:19 am

Yes! That poem blew me away too, Linda! However, Evan must have just been sharing it, rather than claiming he wrote it, which I misunderstood from the email. Here is the link for the poem: http://heavenlycelebrations.com.au/poems/her-journeys-just-begun/
I removed it from the thread since I'm only included poems actually written by the kids.

Kay McGriff link

12/15/2017 03:29:25 am

That looks like a fabulous school visit. I loved the poems and notes you shared. This is a budding group of poets for sure!

B.J. Lee

12/15/2017 05:42:04 am

Hi Kay! Yes, several of them expressed wanting to become writers and one girl, Jasmine, asked for my autograph. That was a first! It was very touching to see the affect my poetry had on them! <3

B.J. Lee

12/16/2017 10:39:55 am

Thanks, Kay! Yes, it was fabulous! I'm glad to learn that some kids want to be poets and writers! It warms my poetic heart!

Laura Salas link

12/15/2017 05:11:57 am

Looks like a great visit, BJ! I'm sure you were super inspiring!

B.J. Lee

12/15/2017 05:44:01 am

Thanks, Laura! It was so much fun and I wasn't nervous at all. I hope it was inspiring! I enjoyed sharing my poetry so much, I may have to do it again, and again, and again! :)

Irene Latham

12/15/2017 05:43:29 am

What a gift you are to these students! Their work is AMAZING. Evan's note is one to pull out on a black cloud day. Such beauty. And that gleeful pic of you holding all those books... JOY! Thank you for sharing! xo

B.J. Lee

12/15/2017 05:46:59 am

Hi Irene! Thanks for stopping by. Yes! Evan's note touched me so much! My husband was making me laugh about something quite unrelated to books when he took that picture! But I liked the crazy giddiness of it. :)

Brenda link

12/15/2017 06:06:43 am

I love the cat ears and all the pictures. I love when adults encourage kids to retain some wonder and silliness -- keeping the soul young. Those poems are adorable. Such funny rhymes and details.

BJ Lee

12/15/2017 07:05:21 am

Thank you Brenda! Yes, the poems they came up with are adorable! And yes, I agree about the wonder and silliness!

Donna Smith link

12/15/2017 07:31:35 am

Looks like it was a fun time getting to share with those kids!

B.J. Lee

12/15/2017 09:33:37 am

Completely! Thanks for stopping by, Donna!

Tabatha

12/15/2017 09:30:34 am

Terrific response poems, B.J.! You must have really inspired the students. I love "An Old Hound Dog" especially.

B.J. Lee

12/15/2017 09:35:10 am

Hi Tabatha! Yes, they did an excellent job with their "homework!" I love the hound dog poem too - such a long-lived creature! :)

jama rattigan link

12/15/2017 09:42:55 am

Thanks for sharing the student poems. Looks like your visit was a great success! Love the cat ears and crazy bird. :)

B.J. Lee

12/15/2017 10:01:49 am

Thanks for stopping by, Jama! The kids loved the cat ears and crazy bird too! Trouble is, I forgot to take the cat ears off at the appropriate time and so ended up wearing them for the entire presentation! :)

Carmela Martino link

12/15/2017 10:27:36 am

Thanks so much for sharing these GREAT poems with us, BJ. I laughed out loud at the old hound dog talking about "Morse code telegrams and things like that." Makes me wonder where the young author heard about that. :-)
Looks like you had a wonderful time and the students did too. Congratulations!

B.J. Lee

12/15/2017 03:13:58 pm

Thanks, Carmela! Yeah, the old hound dog is pretty funny. I know horse and morse were linked in "What Does the Fox Say," which may be a possible source, but even so, it's hilarious! :) I had a wonderful time and, even though it was my first time presenting, I had no nerves at all. It felt natural to be reading and reciting and talking.

Penny Parker Klostermann link

12/15/2017 02:01:43 pm

This post is adorable. I just love that the students wrote wonderful poems. I know you inspired them B.J. Thanks for sharing and congrats on your visit!

B.J. Lee

12/15/2017 03:15:12 pm

Thanks, Penny! It was a lot of fun! I'm so glad the students responded with poems and letters! It made my week!

Laura Shovan link

12/15/2017 02:47:06 pm

Oh, that horse's hair poem! So well done. What great use of repetition.

Those ears become you, B.J.!

B.J. Lee

12/15/2017 03:16:22 pm

Thanks, Laura! Perhaps I'll wear them more often! Yes, I loved the horse hair, cat hair, dog hair poem. lol!

Christie Wyman link

12/15/2017 05:47:37 pm

How fun, B.J., and what great work from those students! Lucky them to have you visit.

B.J. Lee

12/15/2017 07:03:37 pm

Thank you, Christie and thanks for stopping by! It was a fun visit for all involved! :)

Buffy Silverman link

12/15/2017 06:16:11 pm

Congratulations on your first school visit, B.J.--And what great poems these students wrote! My old hound dog is sitting next to me right now, snoozing, and not a peep from him about Morse code!

B.J. Lee

12/15/2017 07:04:48 pm

Thank you, Buffy and lol on the hound dog! :D

Michelle Kogan link

12/15/2017 09:00:38 pm

I like the "AN OLD HOUND DOG," and others here too! What a rich collection of poems you have inspired from these students–they seem really engaged with what you gave them. Your pics are great, thanks for sharing all B.J.

B.J. Lee

12/16/2017 10:37:32 am

Thank you, Michelle! They did seem engaged! Since it was my first visit, I really wasn't sure how it went, although it seemed to be going well. But, the proof was later when they actually sent me poems by email and snail mail!

Molly Hogan link

12/16/2017 12:34:52 am

Congrats on your school visit and thanks for sharing the poems you inspired. An Old Hound Dog is wonderful but each poem has its charms. What a lovely day for all of you!

B.J. Lee

12/16/2017 10:38:29 am

Thank you, Molly! It was a wonderful day! Thanks for stopping by!

Kathryn Apel link

12/16/2017 03:44:53 am

School visits are so inspiring. It looks like good fun was had by all. (Got to love that kids voluntarily do extra homework - and do it so well!)

Heidi Mordhorst link

12/16/2017 06:43:43 am

Hi, BJ--

Looks like you had so much fun, and the kids too! Congratulations on your first school visit. You are truly an insporation, and I love Evan's note, poem and spelling!

B.J. Lee

12/16/2017 10:41:24 am

Hi Heidi! Yes, it was pretty much a hoot! And, yes, Evan outdid himself! <3

Violet N. link

12/16/2017 07:57:28 am

B.J. your talk looks amazing, and I love your get-up! Would love to have been a fly on the wall in that classroom. The poems and notes you got in reply speak of what a hit you were. Thanks for sharing this lovely experience with us.

B.J. Lee

12/16/2017 10:43:58 am

Thanks Violet! It was a wonderful experience. How can you not enjoy sharing poetry with eager minds. The teachers were an inspiration to me as well. The science teacher, Ms. Boyle, was very interested in J. Patrick Lewis' NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC BOOK OF NATURE POETRY and snapped a pic of the cover so she could buy it. That was heartwarming to be sure!

Mary Lee Hahn

12/16/2017 01:18:25 pm

Congratulations on your successful author visit! Lucky 5th graders, and obviously very inspired by you!

B.J. Lee

12/16/2017 01:24:35 pm

Hi Mary Lee! Thanks for stopping by! It was a win-win for both the students and myself! :)

Janice Scully

12/18/2017 11:13:13 am

Your kids wrote such sweet poems! I would guess that they totally loved your author visit. Congratulations!

B.J. Lee

12/19/2017 07:29:07 am

Thank you, Janice! Yes, the sweetness! It's true. They are sweet!

Mrs. Galvon's Class

12/19/2017 07:59:08 am

You are an inspiration to everyone. Thank you for taking your time to come to our school and sharing your poetry with us. I like the poems that you write.

B.J. Lee link

12/19/2017 01:11:04 pm

Hello Mrs. Galvon! I'm so happy you stopped by, which means, presumably that the students saw their poems up! This is wonderful and makes me very happy! I'm glad the students were inspired to write poems. It meant the world to me! All the Best, B.J. Lee

Charles Waters link

12/22/2017 07:37:07 pm

Congrats on the first of what will be many school visits for you!

B.J. Lee

12/28/2017 05:17:33 pm

Thank you, Charles! How nice of you to stop by! Yes, the first of many! I loved it!

Janet Clare F.

3/27/2018 03:29:26 pm

Hi B.J.,
Just finding this. Love seeing the photos from your PPT and seeing the kid's poems. I can tell you inspired them and I am sure they had a great opportunity to get more into poetry or to see it in a different light thanks to your visit/talk! So glad it went so well.
Janet F.

Author

B. J. Lee is a children’s author and poet. Her picture book, There Was an Old Gator Who Swallowed a Moth, is launching with Pelican Publishing on February 15, 2019. She has poems in 25 poetry anthologies published by Little, Brown, Wordsong, BloomsburyUK, National Geographic, Otter-Barry Books, Pomelo Books, and Chicken Soup for the Soul. She has worked with anthologists Lee Bennett Hopkins, J. Patrick Lewis and Kenn Nesbitt. She has written poems for such children’s magazines as Spider, Highlights and The School Magazine. Follow her on Twitter @bjlee_writer.

Poets' Garage website

Includes my poem "Skateboard Girl"

Includes my poem "The Red Crabs of Christmas Island"

Coming in 2018 National Geographic's book of US: 200 Poems of People, Places, and Passions (edited by J. Patrick Lewis.)
Will include my poem, "Groundhognostication"