Category: News

The Power of Poetry for English-Language Learners

When children are learning a new language, laughter can be one of the most powerful teaching tools you have. Humor not only lightens the classroom atmosphere, but it also opens the mind to absorb new sounds, rhythms, and words. Over the years, I’ve discovered that funny poetry—short, rhythmic, and full of imagination—can make learning English not only easier, but genuinely joyful.

As someone who has spent decades writing funny poems for children, I’ve had the privilege of hearing from teachers all around the world who use my work in their classrooms. And as a language learner myself—having studied both Spanish and Portuguese—I know firsthand what it feels like to wrestle with pronunciation, spelling, and meaning in a new language. I keep those experiences in mind whenever I write, always aiming to create poems that are playful, musical, and accessible for learners of every level.

Free Interactive Livestreams for 2025-26

Online School Visit

Throughout the school year, I visit many, many schools around the world virtually through Zoom, Meet, Teams, WebEx, etc. In other words, I can visit your class or your school online whenever it’s convenient for you, for a fee.

However, if your class or school would like to visit with me, but you don’t have a budget for virtual field trips, I also provide webinars in conjunction with Streamable Learning, the leading provider of interactive livestreams in the K-12 market in the US and Canada. Through quality educational content and an easy-to-use platform, Streamable Learning aims to in introduce interactive livestreams as a valuable supplemental tool for classrooms and families seeking to inspire and educate their K-12 students.

During the 2025-26 school year, I will be doing more than a dozen online webinars, including interactive poetry-writing lessons and programs on famous children’s poets from Dr. Seuss to Shel Silverstein. Schools are invited to join any of these sessions for free as my guest.