After I read the poem The Mask, it reflected what I had thought about countless times in my own school experiences. I always have felt like I was covering up who I really was, and whenever I let part of the "real me" show, I would get teased for being weird or annoying. Instead of seeing myself as these things though, I just thought of myself as unique. In fact, no one else in my grade was like me at all. Still, I never wanted to be subject to the teasing, so I just put on my "mask", and tried to blend into the background. Of course I had friends, and I felt like they were real friends to me. I was grateful for these people. Yet, there were always a few times when they would tease me in front of people, embarrassing me because it was "cool". This poem was a reminder to me that other people feel the way I do. Other people have to put on their "mask" in the morning and pretend everything is OK. When it says in the poem, "So I put on my fake face, and steady my broken voice. I transform myself into a monster, and I do it without a choice.", I felt like those lines had a very strong meaning. It says in few lines, what it means to be hidden to people, and what it means to feel like you have no choice but to do that. I really like that this poem reflected what lots of kids think of school and the people there.