First graders are strong, powerful, and fearless! (Well… most of the time!) We learned about amazing poet Maya Angelou and listened to her read from a poem she wrote “for all children who whistle in the dark and who refuse to admit that they’re frightened out of their wits.” The poem is called “Life Doesn’t Frighten Me at All,” and students had different ideas about whether the speaker is afraid or unafraid. These poems voice our remarkable bravery (…which will not be defeated by occasional fears).
Ms. Cooley
1st Grade
Dragons can breathe fire on me,
but I won’t be scared.
I’m not scared of Jason pretending to be a ghost—
you can see his legs! woo woo
I’m not frightened by chickens—
you have to attack them first before they attack you.
And I’m not afraid of going high on the swing.
I’m not afraid
of a dragon hitting me in the face—
because I could punch his head.
I’m not afraid of a dragon
punching me in the face—I’m brave,
because I have super hands.
I’m not afraid of a dragon punching me in the back—
I would say, “You can’t defeat me!”
I’m not afraid by dragons—
because they are dinosaur cousins,
and I love dinosaurs!
I’m not afraid of any monster that lives in the water.
I’m not scared of alligators, dragons, crabs, or nothin else!
I’m not scared of a unicorn if it was bad—
I would give it candy and ride on it.
I’m not scared of dogs, the dark, or dinosaurs.
I’m brave going to the dentist, petting dogs,
or going to the nursing home.
I am scared of a wolf—
I’m afraid it will bite me,
but I really need to be brave.
Mice frighten me—
but rainbows make me feel better—
I like the pretty colors.
I’m not afraid of a lion—
the zoo keep the lions in the glass.
If I break it the lions will come out,
but the glass keep the lions safe.
I’m not scared of a lion—
because it’s not scary,
it’s not scary
when it runs.
Ms. Armand
1st Grade
I’m not afraid of monsters or movies.
I’m not afraid of bats or the dark.
I’m not afraid of the ghost under my bed.
I’m not scared of a rat—it’s too small!
I’m not scared of a wolf.
I’m not scared of a big, scary, red monster in my room.
I’m not afraid of a fire bird with 4 arms and 3 heads.
No me asustan los perros, ni un caballo, ni las ardillas.
I’m not afraid of an eagle, a whale, or a hedgehog.
And I’m not afraid of zebras.
I’m kind of afraid of fishes—they bite,
but some are nice.
I’m scared of Pennywise—it’s a monster,
and creepy toys and dolls—they’re scary.
And I am afraid of some creepy guy from Smiling Critters.
I’m not afraid of puppies.
I’m not afraid of punches.
I’m not afraid of nothing.
I’m not afraid of cars,
but I hate car accidents—
it makes me feel like I’m gonna hurt my head.
I’m not afraid of the dark
when my mom puts my closet light on and we close it.
I’m not frightened by anything—
because my mom told me it’s going to be OK.
