Just Gettin’ By
I’ve crossed paths with so many
students that have just gotten by.
Is it inattention, neglect, or
carelessness that has silenced their cry?
Their plead for help to those who have
an obligation to provide,
and their inability to do the work that
they are assigned.
I’ve witnessed kids struggle with tears
in their eyes
and I ask myself how on Earth are these
kids gettin’ by?
How do you make it to Algebra, but you
can’t do the basics,
Why is it that the educators seem so
complacent?
Well I’m worried; I see a very real
problem.
Simply passing students who are
undeserving is not goin to solve ‘em.
We have to find a way to make the
concepts we’re teaching apply,
it is our job to stop the cycle of
letting kids get by.
I see high school students who can’t
write for their lives.
Kids from various ethnicities with
dialects that affect how they write
As teachers we will face a number of
difficult tasks,
but when it comes to our students we
cannot turn our backs.
If a student requires we should put forth
the extra effort and time
Lend our ears to their cry, teach them,
and not just let them get by.
Precious,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your sincere poem about relating to students and being real people to students. Some schools, more than others, have students with extra needs that need more from us than others. I liked your style, content, and rhyme. Thanks for showing that side of you with sincerity! Good work!
Dear Precious,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your honest poem. Hearing you read it out loud was an eye opening experience. You read it in such a way that captures the desperation of the matter. How are can we stand by and let students "just get by"? This is a message that I know I needed to hear and a message that I think every student and teacher should hear.
Sincerely,
Kelly
Dear Precious,
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your genuine poem. It addresses the concern that most teachers think about everyday. The the rhyme scheme that you used causes the reader to pause after each line which allows the line to linger in the their mind for a brief moment. It is almost impossible to read this poem quickly because the subject is so heavy and I love this fact about it. I also love that your voice shines through this poem because I can hear you reading your poem as I read it on the screen.
Sincerely,
Kaila
Precious,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your poem. It is refreshing to see someone approach such a difficult subject in our field. I too have seen a number of challenges with students who have been "passed by" from students in 8th grade who read at a 3rd grade level or couldn't multiply 10x7. I have seen the teachers that take the extra effort with special work sheets for the student to do at night and extra attention to help them try to catch up. To the teachers that just say the student isn't teachable and waits for them to get passed on... As educators we have to remember we have a responsibility to each and every student and if we cannot honor that commitment we are in the wrong field.
Dear Precious,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your poem “Just Gettin’ By.” I love the rhythm and rhyme scheme of it, as well as the message. We do “have to find a way to make the concepts we’re teaching apply” so that our students see value in what we’re doing. And you’re write that we have to “lend our ears to their cry” so they can easily see that we care about them as human beings who have gifts to share with the world. We can look for those gifts and honor them. I can see that you are a teacher who will do just that. Thank you!
Katie