“Repetition can make magic happen-repeat a word or a phrase enough times, and it breathes new life, fresh meaning. Or repetition can strip language until all that’s left are empty rhythms and sounds. Words are funny like that.”-New York Times, critic, Maya Phillips
Mrs. Collins, 6th Grade
Every day I wake wake wake i have to go, go, go, go, to school every day
And I have to do unnecessary work, work work, work that we do every day, then go
Home, home, home to do my homework, homework, homework, then go to sleep
Sleep, sleep, sleep, then repeat, repeat, repeat, all over again.
Tick tick tock goes the clock
I will to move faster
Click, click, click goes my pen
As I write aimless notes
Blah blah blah goes the teacher
While I wish they would hurry up
Bored, bored, bored is all I hear
Instead of paying attention
Tick tick tock goes the clock.
“Niko! Wake Up!!”
My mom yells,
But I never get up the first time
“Niko! Wake Up!!”
Still not yet
“Niko! Wake Up!!”
It always takes forever to wake me up.
I try, but I never get up.
It’s already 7:20
And my mom texts my brother and me
“Are you moving?”
That’s what gets me out of bed.
The slight scare that it gives me is enough.
I go to school, my friends are just on their phones
Scroll
Scroll
Scroll
And the door opens.
I take breakfast, either giving it to my friend or taking it for myself.
And it’s already time to start a lesson.
And another lesson.
And another.
Then there’s recess.
But we play the same game, tag
We only start when there’s 5 minutes left.
Then lunch, but it’s already over.
And back to lesson, lesson, lesson, lesson.
It’s 2:50 by now.
Dismissal time, Stamp my planner, and walk home.
Homework, Homework, Homework.
And now it’s 8:00, shower time.
10:00, bedtime.
And then I hear
“Niko! Wake Up!!”
Mrs. McClain, 7th Grade, Group One
1st period he can wait for us
2nd period we get five seconds
3rd period we can go right to checks
4th period they are asking if these seats work for us
5th period he yells: ask to go to the bathroom in his red and white cone of thunder
6th, they say sit down
7th is to focus
Next day
1st period he says it would be sad to get a check right away
2nd she can wait
3rd period we are questioning our seats, again
4th is just chaos
5th you need to ask, he says
6th they said it down
7th period is to stop talking
Again and again
Day by day
Over and over
I hear the typing.
Click, click, click.
As the clock strikes 3, the bell rings.
Ring, ring, ring.
The steps in the hall won’t stop
Step, step, step.
Until 3:30.
I walk home to the bottle shop. Hear the beeping of the apple pay.
Beep, beep, beep
My phone rings. I dig into my right pocket and unlock the screen.
“Do you want to hang out, out, out.”
It starts to rain.
I can almost hear the water seeping into the cracks of the concrete.
Drip, drip, drip.
“No,” I say.
I hung up the phone.
As I finally open the door to my house
Screech, screech, screech.
I collapse on the ground.
Mrs. McClain, 7th Grade, Group Two
When I arrive, my mind tells me to give it my all on the field and to play well.
When the match begins, my mind says: “Press! Press! Press!”
With all your might! And when I get knocked down, my body tells me: “Get up and keep playing.”
And when I lose, my brain says: “It wasn’t your fault. It wasn’t your fault. It wasn’t your fault.”
It finally Saturday, Saturday, Saturday, Saturday,
so I get to sleep, sleep, sleep in.
Zzzzzz I say, say, say in my sleep.
When I wake up, up, up, I lay in bed, bed, bed.
My mom yells, yells, yells “Get out of you Bed!”
I got down, down, down my stairs!
I hope, hope, hope my mom made breakfast.
SHE DID, DID, DID!
Bacon, fruit and waffle, waffles, waffles all layed out for me to eat.
Then I text, text, text my friends to see if they can hang out.
One says YES, Yes, yes, so I get ready for the day!
Hair brushed, brushed, brushed, and teeth too!
Mascara on, on, on, and outfit all clean and on too.
So I go, go, go!
Mrs. McClain, 8th Grade, Group Three
beat, beat, beat
goes my heart as I
wake, wake, wake,
Up.
brush, brush, brush,
my teeth and my hair
and i put deodorant on so i
don’t
stink
spray spray spray spray spray
perfume
Two sprays on the sides of my neck
One on each wrist
and one on my shirt
Then i
run, run, run, out the door and
Down down down the block.
I get up. My alarm clock beeps beeps beeps beeps. Shoot! It’s 7:35! I hop out of the bed and sprint to my closet. I do the quickest change of my life. I run run run all the way across my house, up up up the stairs, and skip breakfast because I don’t have time to eat it. I sprint to do my morning routine and brush my teeth. I throw on the backpack and run to school, school, school. I look at my wrist to see no watch! I sprint back to my house and run in to get my watch. I look at the time, and it’s… 7:35? Right, I set my clock next to my bed 15 mins ahead. I take time to eat my breakfast and take a leisurely walk to school.