If you are a teacher attempting to share your love of poetry with students, you probably put a lot of effort into searching for poems you think will strike a chord. And for that we thank you! And to show our appreciation, we’ve collected these amazing poems about teaching just for you—to inspire, amuse, and tap into the deep connection we all have with this crazy, lovely profession.
1. Raising Their Hands by Julia Lisella
“Sometimes I dream about my students …”
2. Teachers by Kevin William Huff
“Teachers paint their minds and guide their thoughts.”
3. Lessons of Another Kind by Leslie Owen Wilson
“I came to teach / To see what I could find …”
4. My Teacher Wasn’t Half As Nice As Yours Seems To Be by Roald Dahl
“Our class was full of one-eared boys …”
5. A Teaching Fantasy by Margaret Hatcher
“I teach. Ideas and words are my business.”
6. The Silliest Teacher in School by Darren Sardelli
“Our teacher gave detention / to the fountains in the hall.”
7. Teachers by Beryl L. Edmonds
“Teachers proudly stand in front of the class …”
8. Subject to Change by Marilyn L. Taylor
“They are so beautiful, and so very young …”
9. The Hand by Mary Ruefle
“The teacher asks a question. / You know the answer …”
10. Marked for Life by Janie Reinart
“Thin jagged line …”
11. Opposites by Eileen Snook
“Overworked, overextended, overbooked.”
12. What Teachers Make by Taylor Mali
“I make kids wonder. I make them question.”
13. On Teaching the Young by Yvor Winters
“The young are quick of speech.”
14. December Substitute by Kenn Nesbitt
“Our substitute is strange because / he looks a lot like Santa Claus.”
15. Napoleon by Miroslav Holub
“Children, when was Napoleon Bonaparte born, asks teacher.”
16. For Elizabeth Bishop by Sandra McPherson
“The child I left your class to have / Later had a habit of sleeping …”
17. Mrs. Stein by Bill Dodds
“The school bell rings, we go inside …”
18. To David, About His Education by Howard Nemerov
“The world is full of mostly invisible things …”
19. Adjacent, Against, Upon by Rick Barot
“I may be looking at the set of boulders … but it is you I am addressing.”
20. Why Latin Should Still Be Taught in High School by Christopher Bursk
“Because one day I grew so bored with Lucretius, I fell in love.”
21. Pencil by Marianne Boruch
“My drawing teacher said: Look, think, make a mark.”
22. An Instructor’s Dream by Bill Knott
“Many decades after graduation …”
For more poems about teachers and teaching, check out these amazing collections:
- Learning by Heart: Contemporary American Poetry About School edited by Maggie Anderson and David Hassler
- Bearing Witness: Poetry by Teachers About Teaching edited by Margaret Hatcher
Want more poetry? Check out these back-to-school poems.
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