The meaning behind 6th graders names @ Dulles

This week I was excited to meet my group of 6th graders to begin our mini poetry residency. For the next five weeks I’ll be teaching and writing poetry with 6th graders on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The theme for our first week is about names and their meanings. Why do we have names? Do names define who you truly are?

On Tuesday students read and discussed the poem “a girl named jack,” by Jacqueline Woodson. In her poem she tells the origin story of her name. Her father wanted her to be named Jack after him, believing she would grow up strong by having his name. But her mother and aunts were against it and compromised by giving her the name Jaqueline instead. I helped students look up the meaning of their names. For those who couldn’t find what their name meant, I told them to create one for themselves.

On Thursday we continued our discussion of names by reading “Alternate Names for Black Boys,’ by Danez Smith. Smith’s poem was a list of 17 name choices to describe black boys. The names that stood out for students were: 5. guilty until proven dead/ 10. going, going, gone/ 17. a mother’s joy & clutched breath. These names express the violence towards young black males.

Below are poems by students about names and their special meanings. Please enjoy.