
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. Thank you! And to show our appreciation, we’ve collected 15 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
It all begins with a teacher.
3. Lessons of Another Kind by Leslie Owen Wilson
Learning instead is a powerful message.
4. My Teacher Wasn’t Half As Nice As Yours Seems To Be by Roald Dahl
Let us praise teachers who today are all so fine!
5. A Teaching Fantasy by Margaret Hatcher
Someday one may catch your attention.
6. The Silliest Teacher in School by Darren Sardelli
What is all this fuss?
7. Teachers by Beryl L Edmonds
A dedication to teachers everywhere.
8. Subject to Change by Marilyn L. Taylor
They seem to glitter with perfection.
9. The Hand by Mary Ruefle
When you just want someone to answer but they daydream instead.
7. A Teacher’s Lament by Kalli Dakos
I’m tired of all your excuses; they are really a terrible bore.
8. Room 19, Eakin Elementary by Diane Gilliam Fisher
It’s not allowed, visiting with your neighbors.
9. Teaching Dreams by Cecil B. Morris
Some nights students return to me.
10. Marked for Life by Janie Reinart
Marking the progress of your struggle to learn.
11. Opposites by Eileen Snook
Overweight, overtired, and overlooked.
12. What Teachers Make by Taylor Mali
You want to know what I make?
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