Last week at Peterson, we read “And Still I Rise” by Maya Angelou and discussed what it is that Maya Angelou was rising up from and what does it mean to continue “rising” for marginalized people? Students are currently doing a section in their English class on “modern day changemakers”, people who are making leaps and strides in their fields. Students wrote poems about their changemaker whose autobiography/biography that they are reading in class (Steve Jobs, Michelle Obama, etc) and continues to preserve despite their struggles, using the Maya Angelou poem as an anchor text.
Mrs. Ionita
2nd Period
Untitled
Imanee H.
you may write me down in history
with your joy, twisted lies
you may treat me different.
But still, like spirits, I’ll Rise.
Does my happiness annoy you?
Why are you so useless?
’cause I walk with all my joy
helping for all in needs
Just like god & the lords
with the shout of others
Justice my hopes don’t rise
still I’ll rise
Don’t what you can with
what you go
And even when
I had not have
A penny in my pocket
Still I’ll rise
I still do the joy of giving
I gave my time,
I gave my spirits,
I gave my heart,
still I have rise
I gave my full notable moments
And even though my tears
I gave myself a Big smile
and to the world.
The world needed it more than
I could have ever Imagines
still I will rise.
Truck (tarta) book ‘educated
Malachi M.
I have a hard life
I’m not average like others
I don’t ed to school.
My parents think it’s a sin
but I really want to go
I’m stuck
I’m stuck between
family or school.
I’m stuck
between curiosity and religion
I have nowhere to go
like I’m standing in Quick Sand
But I want to get out
I’m stuck, I’m stuck, I’m stuck
Still I Rise- Michelle Obama
Leia R.
I may be the presidents’ wife.
But I’m still frowned upon.
But do I let these people
bring me down.
No, I rise.
Just as the tide rises, I
rise with it.
As a colored girl, born in
the Southside of Chicago.
getting laughed at and bullied,
I never gave up I rised.
I rise as high as the
sun, in the morning light.
I rised
And I’ll rise every time.
always running
Fernando S.
I rise
After all the brothers and sisters
I have
I rise
After the chaos and trouble
I rise
After watts
I rise
After the boys on the bikes
I rise
Changemaker Poem
Kevin T.
You may write e down in history
For being the big tech nerd it would be
Start in old house in 20s Alto’s
To be one of the biggest companies
in the world.
I’ll rise
to be the best designer
I”ll rise
to be the greatest in the world
but now I reset
and let y legacy to live
I rise
I rise
I rise
Mrs. Ionita
3rd Period
Rise
Drew B.
My name is William,
I came from a tough past,
I was always a small boy,
that would surely come last.
But my dad was the Hero,
Great and Strong,
He could beat anyone,
no matter how evil or how wrong.
I want to be like him,
when I grow up
like him I will be strong
And super tough
But most of all I love his heart.
The kindest one could be,
And no matter what,
he will always protect me
But now I must grow,
past my childs” forsaken cries,
just like my amazing father,
I must Rise
Rising Up
Anahi M.
They call me insane
They say that I can’t do it
The try to bring me down
But I’m rising up
Does my curiosity upset you?
The hunger sprinting
towards me
The poor beat her though
I gather my material
Get to work
Look at my success
I rise
Steve Jobs~ Younger for Older Transformation
Hannah P.
You may say I’m a troublemaker
You may say I’m annoying
But you would not understand
what I’m going through
I feel like the world does not understand me
Throwing me word problems instead of real life problems
Just like when a teenager feels too old to children games
I feel the same about my education.
Just like you yelling at me for not paying attention
I rise.
You may give me detention
You may call my parents
You may get me expelled
but—
I rise.
Does my peskiness annoy you?
Do I have to change who
I am for you.
However, because of
my future.
I rise.
Education for Everyone
Sebastian S.
In My country Not everyone gets
an education
I want to change that
Nothing will stop Me
It doesn’t matter if it’s a buffer
or a group of tourists
I’m Mallalla and I’m fighting
for women education
Mrs. Ionita
4th Period
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
Lilyanna F.
Do I Intimidate you?
Did my win surprise you?
I am different
I stand with my head held high
I will stand strong like
a tree holding up in a storm
I’m confit
will not be shammed
I will stand high
Still i Rise
Lejla K.
She rise by pushing
through in school
by trying to be the
best in class and try to
make her piano teacher
proud. She wants to be good
like Craig, who makes friends easily.
Voice
Nabilah N.
Your voice is your power
Your voice can be sour
or be like a flower
Voice
Your voice is your choice
It may bring some joys
or it can also destroy
Voice
It can be a visual if of you
You should speak up because
others fail to do
Voice
It can be used to dissent
or assent
to prevent sex discrimination
Voice
some use it for understatements
but they are mistaken
Because I am here to give cause
to the news generations and generations
voice
Uneducated
Michelle S.
My whole life I haven’t gone to school
the pages that I “learn” from
contain little information
My father required me
to help hin in the junkyard
Risk my life to make him
satisfied
try so hard to get
an education but end up
nowhere
The scraps of metal laugh
at my struggles
From dancing out
the cuts
And I still don’t
have an education
Ruth Bader Ginsberg
Evan V.
They never said I could succeed
I did it anyway
They’re me down
but I stayed whole
Adversity thrown at me
but I didn’t fall down
I stayed up for all the women before me
