Today.
8:00 A.M.
Drowsy students saunter in
They
are greeted with warm smiles and hellos
Students
quietly shuffle towards the cubbies of need
Materials
are ready
The
bell rings
Students
salute the flag that represents a nation
An
anonymous voice projects the school day
8:05 A.M.
Let
the lesson begin
8:06 A.M. – 9:14 A.M.
Reading,
Writing, Spelling,
Vocabulary,
Grammar, Speaking
80
minutes to span them all
Will
we complete it all in one day?
Going
through step by step
Eyes
glaze with the sheen of boredom
Eye
rolls
Attitudes
A
fight for education
Students
soon stand up to learn
The
sheen disappears
Attention
and learning fill their eyes
9:15 A.M.
Quiet
shuffles
Students
attempt to pack their items
5
minutes remain
Anxious
glances at the clock
4
minutes remain
The
lesson continues on
Attempting
to reengage the the lesson
“Why
can’t we just pack our things?”
2
minutes remaining
9:20 A.M.
The
ending bell rings
Students
reanimate
They
scurry out the door.
Dear Amanda,
ReplyDeleteThank you for this poem. I really enjoyed it. I enjoyed the way it was written and the format of the entire poem. It is really easy to relate to as a watcher of clocks myself. Time is something I have always had a problem with whether it is too much or too little. Also, I have my students in the morning from 8 to 920, and believe me, they are all the same way. This poems means a lot to me because of that. Thank you for sharing this.
Dear Amanda
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your poem! Thank your for writing about a first hour class because this is also the time of day in which I am pre-student teaching. Your poem captures the attitude and actions of students during this time of day perfectly. I especially like the times that you have listed throughout your poem; I feel like this is my class!
Dear Amanda,
ReplyDeleteThank you for writing this! You describe a typical day in the life of a student teacher, especially ones that take place in the morning! You paint a picture that we can call relate to. Great job!
Dear Amanda,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your poem and all the images you depict in it: “drowsy students saunter,” “quietly shuffle,” “eyes glaze with the sheen of boredom,” “students reanimate” and “scurry out the door.” I am interested to know what is happening at the line “a fight for education” when “students soon stand up to learn.” It’s exciting when students get on board with a lesson and begin to engage, and we want to capture and recreate that experience as often as possible in our lessons. I love the image of students “reanimating” at the end of class; this is a familiar image, unfortunately. Thanks for your honesty in this piece, Amanda.
Katie