Disguised Segregation

Stupid

Slow

Dumb

Does it show?

Talentless, gallant-less

Humiliated

Hated

Stop saying school is cool

Because whoever wrote the rules of ridicule

About making kids smart when it set goodness apart

And made some feel like nothing more than a fool

is cruel

My disability, their care: it's invisible

 

It’s a disguised segregation

Mental and social separation

No, not the emancipation proclamation

It is illegal to discriminate by the color of one’s skin

But look within--everyone forgets I’m different there too

 

If no two brains are the same why is it all the same

There hasn’t been much change in the game

But refusing to care how different brains are wired won’t get you fired

 

You see… kids label each other no matter what

And when even teachers agree, then the label "I am unable" becomes a definition

Oh! 1:00 time for you to split up in your groups that of course have NOTHING TO DO WITH YOUR GPA

Group 1, COUGH COUGH, “the elites”

Group 2, whisper, whisper “mediocre”

Group 3, “special education”

Wow. It really feels special to be

Special.

And for a near friendless kid that just wants to be liked,

Separation, and segregation takes away from anything left of my concentration

 

Teacher passes out a packet

Here comes a variety of anxiety

And “crap I forgot to study”s

Heart racing despite my slow pacing

I’m scared of what I’m facing

THIS determines where I am placing

Pick A, B C, D?

I’m getting an F

Why does the question contradict the content

There’s a squirrel outside

Distractions, distractions

I’ll pick C

But then again why even try

What an overwhelming feeling of failure it is

When trying my hardest gets me a D

 

But standardized testing?

I will never live up to their standards

A test should not define you, don’t be blind

When asked to define who you are, would the word “test” even come to mind?

An array of regurgitated questions that doesn't display how creative, or talented or kind or bright you are or ever will be

But that doesn’t matter, right?

 

Eh, who cares about my art

The word “smart” is defined on a scale of letters A-F

But if you think this rigged competition makes my persona better, listen to this newsletter:

You must be deaf

 

Common core shakes me to my core

Awareness is unadopted and the lack of inexpensive options

Is becoming a bore

Each student’s brain is different taking shapes that won’t fit into rigid-framed blocks

All of a sudden schools give talks to think outside the box

Oh wait… not like that

Whether I am locked in or locked out of it is still expanding

But the farthest distance between it all is misunderstanding

 

Education is one size fits all

But these pants are too large

And I am too small

They say it’s not right the way I’m thinking

And it’s not the pants that are getting bigger

But it’s me that is

Shrinking

 

Everyday I come home wishing I had a talent and that I could be gallant

From the anxiety to immense offense to the stares and eye-rolls when it’s my turn to read to nothing making sense

I’m giving up on me

To finally feel worth it

Would be enough

 

Thanks, school

You took all the ability I thought I had out of my disability

And all that’s left is "dis"

 

This poem is about: 
My family
Our world

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