Hearing Our Names (5th)

Today in Ms. Shah’s class, we read Aimee Nezhukumatathil’s poem “On Listening to My Teacher Take Attendance.” The students really read deeply into the poem and the symbolism of the imagery—they noticed some things I hadn’t even considered! We talked about people in our lives who say our names in ways that we love or ways that make us uncomfortable. A lot of us have people in our lives who say our names with a particular accent or in a particular language and we shared how special that can make us feel.

Ms. Shah 5th Grade

Grandma Mahi

I can hear my grandma saying Janu
I can see my grandma cooking like a chef
I can hear my grandma’s old Hindi songs like it’s a concert
Janu is like writing on a rock
it stays there forever.
The image of the smile is never going to
wipe away.

Shooting Star Tiffany

When my friend calls my name
I light up in joy.
Someone who doesn’t ignore me.
Someone who makes me
feel like I belong.
I see him say hi
all I hear is songs in Russian
the smell of my mom’s food
the taste of sour soda.
The sound of my keyboard
clicking and clacking.

The Names My Friends Call Me Alex

My friends call me by different
names. Most people call me
Alex or my birthname
but my friends sure don’t.

They call me “Alexa” or
“Alex” in a funny voice.
It makes me think of school.
I can taste the strawberry milk through the straw,
I can feel my friend’s
warm, soft hands on me.

I can smell the busy
hallways and the busy
classrooms. I can see
students stumble into classrooms
with all their stuff
and I can hear everyone
laughing and talking.