The speaker in Sonia Sanchez’s “This Is Not a Small Voice” talks about “large / voice[s] coming out,” listing the names of a half-dozen children “navigating the hallways / of our schools spilling out / on the corners of our cities.” The second half of the poem uses personification to celebrate the students’ “passion for kissing learning / on its face,” lingering over the alphabet and “spit[ting] out closed vowels . . . a love colored with iron and lace.” This very impressionistic poem says a lot about those who enjoy learning but also the unique names we bear. What, if anything, do we really know about our names? Here are some thoughts on that idea.
Ms. Travis
4th Grade
My Name
Ednori B.
My name is Nori.
Nori means seaweed.
I love my name.
My birthday is May 25th
it is the same as my grandfather.
He died.
He had long hair.
Samuel
Samuel C.
My parents gave me my name because they
wanted a name that they can say in English and Spanish.
So that's why they named me Samuel.
The name Samuel originated in a story in the bible.
What My Name Means to Me
Ava C.
I am Ava
I really like my name
Pronounced A-V-A
My name is a popular name
I have a special name
My name spelled backwards is still Ava
Which is very cool to me
Sometimes I let people call me Eva
My name starts with the first letter of the alphabet
I have many rhyming words to my name
I love my name!
How I Got My Name
Karra F.
Hi my name is Karra but people call me
Kara my name comes from a relative an old
one too. So when I was first born my mom named
me Kara or Madlin but she named me Karra after
an old relative. But she did not think of that. She
thought of how it was a pretty name and
not common as a name. So here I stand
with the name Karra, a pretty name
and it also stands for a lion but the
name is used for a sports hero, Karra. She
is cool. So thank you for listening to how I
got my name. Have a good day!
Names?
Karissa L.
Creator, creator, creator, for whom
is the creator of the names?
Could banana, mango, orange be
an actual name? Where are
the names from? A thought in
your head, could it be alone
or very well said? Does it tickle
like a pickle in someone's bed?
The curling of the caterpillar
is it really true? Names can
be made up like the thought some-
one thought of you?
The squishy sound of the
name, can it be very tame
or lame?
If I tamed your name will
it be the same, same as your
name, normal before like ordinary
or very special?
Mi Nombre
Rafael M.
Yo me llamo Rafael por que
mi papa Jugaba en un equipo
de futbol y su entre hador se
llama Rafael y mi quelifo me
llamada Rafiya y entonces mi
mama le digo a mi papa
que mi llamara Rafael tambien.
Tengo otro nombre, no es mi
verdadero nombre pero me so
pusieron de apod es Fermin.
Es que yo me enfermada mucho.
Entonces mi tia me llama Fermin
por que mi enfermada mucha.
Ms. Nelson
4th Grade
Untitled
Chris C.
I know my name
I know the meaning
Well, not really
Cause I don't really know the meaning of it
I won't tell you but it is easy to guess
My Name.....
Reya D.
R, it's big, it's bold, it's strong
That's one
e, tiny but mighty
2 done
y, down and around
1 more left
a, awesome but smaller than the smallest
This spells out my name....
Reya
Bold, tiny (but mighty), down and around,
and awesome but smaller than the smallest.
My Beautiful Name
Simrin D.
My name is Simrin
my name means I have perfect memory
my name has a lot of short names like
Sim, Simi, and maybe just Simrin when I
get in trouble.
Sometimes people get it wrong
but that's okay. I just correct
them. My name is really unique.
It was supposed to be Simran but
my mom did not like that so they
changed it to Simrin
which is why my name is unique.
Klint
Klint K.
“Klint, Klint, Klint,” I say to myself.
Why is my name my name? Well in
this poem my mom and dad named me
this because nobody has that name.
I love my name.
My Name
Valentina M.
My name is brave!
It also means strong and a saint!
My name is powerful. It reflects my culture
and my religion but most importantly
it's me!!!
It's powerful, strong, and just like me
but the real question is do I like my
name.......?
The answer is yes I love it!!!
I love the initial, the sound, and basically
everything else.
Mrs. Keffer
4th Grade
Untitled
Gia B.
My name is Gia. It comes from
Italian roots. Pizza, pasta, sauce! I'm
getting off track. My name has taken
a long journey, through rugged deserts, freezing
summers, warm winters. Through rough oceans,
calm streams, and rocky beaches.
A short name but the
meaning is not. The meaning is long and
powerful, warm and cold, young and old. Grateful
and clumsy.
Great
Janice H.
My name is Janice.
How do you know?
Great name while riverfalls
wash down
every day, day and night
I hear my name a thousand times
like literally
all the time. I wonder how did my
parents name me
every time!
H2O
Harry O.
Harry is a name
Given to me by my father.
But some people call me H2O
I'm not water
But Harry O. Jr.
H2O means more than it sounds
Not just me
My personality
My soul
My heart
My desires
My dreams
Just me
I'm the only H2O
The best one ever to exist
The original
The first
The one and only
Me.
Mr. O’Brien
4th Grade
My Name
Lilac A.
My name is a flower. It is so
lovely. It's named after a flower,
lilac. And it is also a Stanley Cup color.
It's neat. I love my name. It is so brave.
It matches my clothes everywhere I go.
Will I Am
William B.
I am Will. I have a hundred dollar bill.
I like my name and I love my name.
My name is William and there
are three sentences that I can do from my
name: Will I am, I am will, and
am I will.
My Name
Simone D.
I like my name. My parents had a really hard
time figuring out what to name me, but in
the end I think they chose a good name. Anyways,
so my name is pretty, but I might be named after
Simone Biles! I even love gymnastics so the name
suits me! I love eating fruits and the color
matches my boots! I love my name and it is
true!
My Last Name
Meher G.
My first name means grace,
My last name means serious,
My last name does not represent my
personality at all!
I am careless and unserious,
So why is my last name like that?
I wonder and wonder, then I came
to a conclusion,
That god probably wanted for me
to be serious!
I am graceful and careless, but I
don't think I will ever be serious.
How will it happen, I keep on thinking.
Bible Letter
Josiah M.
“Woah!” My name is in the bible!
How can it be? Lots of J's in the bible!
Sucks or Does It?
Cameron P.
One of the reasons I
say Cameron sucks is because
my name means crooked
river or crooked nose. I
love the name Cameron
because my mom and
god chose that name.
???????
Leo S.
Leonardo Da Vinci? Leonardo
DiCaprio? Or Leo the Lion? I don't
know, wish I did.
Ann Arbor
Ann S.
Oh what a wonderful place!
There is friends, family, laughter,
horses, and more.
Oh what a wonderful place!
There is so much to do,
so much to see and explore!
Oh what a wonderful place!
Can you guess what my name is?
OK!
Fine!
I will give you one more hint.
Oh what a wonderful place!
Still nothing!
OK!
Fine!
Let me tell you,
My name is Ann.
Phoenix
Phoenix W.
Like a campfire I
burn. Like the
legend phoenix it's
so warm, like the
flames of a fire. Water
can never put
my feelings down.
I stay up with
the sparks of joy.
Dalia
Dalia W.
Dalia, it is unique. I speak
and I peek. It is so pretty
in the city.
It is a flower. I live in a tower.
It is so sour. It takes an hour
to get the power. Dalia is power.
It rhymes with tower.
