I wake up with these thoughts
They just pop in my head
Tuesday’s math groups were bleh
So we’ll do this instead.

They’ll get three paper squares
Writing numbers on each
I’ll tape them together
After that I will teach.

I’ll cut long paper strips
Fold them into a stack
They will use them today
To count forward and back.

Drinking coffee with cream
Is my self-given perk
I jump into my car
Heading straight off to work.

There’s no time for chitchat
I must be on my way
I speed down the long path
Hoping for a great day.

I look at my clipboard
Then I unstack the chairs
I lay out all my books
Then grab paper for squares.

Then grab paper for squares.

There still aren’t enough
So I glance at the time
And I quickly make more
Then I hear the bell’s chime.

Sprinting out of my room
Students waiting for me
I grab all of my things
And race towards building three.

I give quality time
That they desperately need
 I nod and I listen
As I hear what they read.

As I hear what they read.

I hear happy and sad
They are starting to see
These beautiful stories
That just want to break free.

These beautiful stories

They are writing so much
And their voices are clear
Time is up, I must leave
Kids are already there.

I sit with my students
All their struggles are real
I just say to myself
Do not make a big deal.

All their struggles are real

There are so many skills
That they desperately need
I want them to grow up
To be people who read.

To be people who read.

I see five reading groups
I just hope they have grown
I’m tired and worried
I can’t do this alone.

I can’t do this alone.

I put stress on myself
I have so much to do
I know what it will take
For their dreams to come true.

I know what it will take

I breathe in and breathe out
Off to see a new bunch
We will talk, laugh, and write
Until they leave for lunch.

Off to see a new bunch

I race to the bookroom
To file books away
I then grab the new ones
For the following day.

I transform my classroom
No more reading — now math
Then I see my first group
Walking down the long path.

They get three paper squares
They put numbers on each
They push them together
I am ready to teach.

They get long paper strips
Cut and folded in half
Numbers up, numbers down
We smile and we laugh.

Numbers up, numbers down

I glance up at the clock
Time to clean and say bye
I sit down in my chair
And let out a big sigh.

I then heard a new thought
It just popped in my head**
Five-day workweeks are bleh
We’ll do three days instead.**

“The National Assessment of Educational Progress, the most extensive standardized test administered in the United States, reports that less than 40 percent of graduating seniors have mastered reading and math and are poorly equipped for college and real-world life.”

The urgency is real. The thoughts in my head are real.