A Little Something for Teachers 1

Here are some poems especially for students at the primary and secondary levels.

Teachers, you may use them to get your students to understand the value of time.

You may also use them to enrich your poetry class at the beginning of the school year.

Chat Chat Chat

Chat, chat, chat

The way to go,

Work, work, work

No, no, no!

Time ever passing

Children ever chatting

Having their way

Bringing constant delay.

The cry of the teacher

Goes unheeded,

His instruction

Apparently not needed,

But time tells,

It always does

When children continue

With their incessant buzz.

If I had known

I would have grown

To appreciate

The time I had,

Having wasted it

On my useless act,

I am a failure

And that’s a fact!

Stewart Russell © 1999

The Time Is Now

No Longer should I ponder

Or sit around and wonder,

When time is swiftly sifting through my hand.

For, warned about my waste

I need to make great haste,

And join the happy working band.

The day is quickly passing

While I am lazily basking,

As I watch the time slip away from my grasp.

Then, as night appear

I tremble with fear;

I haven’t even completed my task.

Oh, if I had known

Is the painful groan,

As I look back on the day I have wasted.

But all I can do

Is hope I can pursue

The task that I had, but never completed.

Let me take time now

To idleness not bow,

But strive until the task I have done.

I know I will succeed

Once good advice I heed,

And run until the race I have won.

 Stewart Russell © 1999

Time wasting

"Stop wasting time!"

The teacher shouted from her desk.

"Or else you'll be a fool

Right here in this school."

Waste not, want not,

Is the golden rule.

The time you waste in delay,

You mightn't get another day.

"So sit up!" she reminded,

"And pay attention this minute,

'Cause time doesn't go on forever;

Everyone has his limit."

Stewart Russell © 1999

Time is very precious

Time is very precious,

God gave it to me;

To enjoy life to the fullest

While being busy like a bee.

Showing off my talents,

As I work for Him each day;

Helping friend and foe alike

As I move along life’s way.

Time waits on no man,

The saying is so very true;

And now before it runs out for me,

I’ll make the best of it. Won’t you?

Stewart Russell ©1999

Time for everything

A time to work and a time to play,

A time to eat and a time to pray;

A time for everything under the sun,

Each in its place until all are done.

There’s time and place for everything,

A time to study and a time to sing;

When all are done there’s time to rest,

Satisfied that we have done our best.

Now is the time, get the order right;

Opportunity now, is soon out of sight.

So, do your best, whatever the test,

Give it your all, God will do the rest.

Stewart Russell © 1999

I need not do it now

I need not do it now,

I’ll manage later, somehow;

Why stop my fun

When later I can get it done?

I’ve lots and lots of time,

Do it later! That’s no crime;

So, for the time being,

No schoolwork I’ll be seeing.

Is that the thing to do?

Put off work till you’re through

Doing some unimportant task

Just wasting time in class?

With me you will agree,

Sooner or later, you will see

Time lost cannot  be regain,

All your effort will be in vain.

So, pull yourself together,

Work while there’s good weather;

There will be time for fun

As soon as the task is done.

Stewart Russell © 1999