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The poet writes, “My name is Holly Grover and I am a student at Endicott College majoring in early childhood education. In my free time I like to hang out with my friends and go to the beach. This poem was written in free verse for a poetry class with Professor Dan Sklar.  I am also an after school prek/k teacher in Beverly. My experiences and interactions with my students at work influenced this poem.”

Things I Thought I Would Never Have To Say As a Teacher

Holly Grover

You can not go potty on that bush.
No, you can not hit him with that stick.
Please do not touch my eyeball.
Why are we throwing rocks at the security camera?
Please don’t bite me.
We don’t lick our friends.
Let’s color the paper, not our bodies.
Our shoes are not for licking.
Please keep my shoes on.
Let’s pull up our pants first before we play.
We do not jump on our friends.
We keep the dirt on the ground, not in our hair.
No you can not eat that caterpillar, it’s yucky.

— Holly Grover

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