‘Twas the day before observations, and right down the hall,
the teacher stayed late and placed words on his wall.
Student work was a-hanging, and wait, there was more,
There was meaningful feedback – guaranteed perfect score.
The readings were written, they were read and checked twice,
They were leveled for skills, they were chunked and looked nice.
And that was not all, Mr. S raised his voice,
Q’s were evidence-based, and the kids have a choice!
One thing troubled Jesse, as he thought and he sat,
Just what, in the end, would the S’s WBAT?
The objective had stumped him, he had no way out,
Just what, after all, was this lesson about?
A Court case for one, and of course Civil Rights,
But for what did he spend, all of these sleepless nights?
Did it help with the STAR, that measure kids’ reading,
Or did it help pass the PARCC, which leaves teachers pleading?
Don’t forget your own test, Mr. Schneiderman uttered,
Saying out-loud, to the classroom so cluttered.
The High School Assessment, in government class,
That’s the one they will use, to see if you pass.
As he ironed these out, he felt a new jolt,
He knew he could do this, and to home he did bolt.
A good night of rest with some fruit, a fresh pick,
All of that work, and the admin was sick!
To Learn and To Teach 