Grading Poem

I like this poem because it is a relaxed way of explaining how grades are distributed. The entire poem is clear to me. When it comes to grades, I feel uneasy because I put pressure on myself to receive a high grade. Grades are a stress builder and can be very frustrating at times.

What's your name?

My name is Chavous Hatchell. My first name is of French origin and my last name is of Scottish. The name Hatchell is said to have the meaning "Gate-Keeper." I am named after my father so yes, it is a family name. I have never met anyone in person, besides my family, that has the same exact first name as mine. Chavous is not a common name that you see everyday. I tell my father all the time how much I dislike my first name. I've never liked it and I'm not sure if I ever will. Every school year I have to sit in a classroom and have my teacher struggle over the pronunciation of my name. For the first four or five classes, the teacher usually butchers my name over and over again. I usually have to go to the teacher after class several times just to help them with my name's pronunciation. I love coming across a teacher who can't say my name correctly and instead of trying and messing up, they simply call me by my last name and then ask for the correct way to say it. I have only come across one teacher in my entire school life that has ever pronounced my name correctly on their first attempt and that was one of my professors in college. My family has never come across the meaning of our name. After speaking with my father about it, he said he had a book explaining the meaning but since then has forgotten its exact definition. Although my name is difficult to pronounce, I do like that it is not a name that is heard everyday.

Survey question and answer

Have you ever written a poem? a song or hip-hop lyric? a short story? a newspaper article? a novel? or something like that?

Yes. In some of my English classes during high school, I've had to write a few poems. I don't really enjoy writing poetry but I have been told that I'm not that bad at them. I've also had to write short stories which I enjoy doing. I like writing short stories because it allows me to let my imagination flow on paper without any guidelines or strict requirements.

Intro

My name is Chavous and I'm from New Jersey. I recently turned 18 and I am a Legal Studies Major.