CMT

…and the almond-blossom
Silent in all of the gardens and the bees going backwards and forwards, For to-day we have naming of parts.

Henry Reed – The Naming of Parts

I closed the door and asked for quiet,
waited for the rustling of papers
and children to stop,
passed out purple booklets and spoke:
Open to page 40 and read along as I read the directions aloud.

DRP, Degrees of Reading Power was the test today,
and yesterday we had Editing and Revising,
tomorrow Reading Comprehension,
next week Mathematics I, II, and III.

It is important for students to
eat a good breakfast,
get a good night’s sleep,
relax, breathe, concentrate,
and take their time.
Our school funding is dependent on this!

How easy to forget the obstacles –

I had no breakfast ‘cause there ain’t no food to eat.

I was up all from the screaming and yelling,
background noise from my conflicted parents.

Argued with my little bothersome brother
and couldn’t find any clothes to wear.

The reverberations from the ambulance
and now the tapping pencil from the boy at the next desk
continue echoing in my head!

But tomorrow we have Reading Comprehension,
and today we have DRP.
Hey, it’s only middle school.