"Chris could you please give a response to the question that I asked before you put your head down on that desk to take a nap?"
"Teacher I'm not sure if your aware but I heard every word you uttered I'm prepared to share with the others what I have learned."
"Great go ahead but remember to include the evidence you gathered to the point that your trying to prove."
"Alright here we go let me grab my notebook real quick
Here check it out,
Well.hmm...
My point is this
I went to bed late I finished all my homework and I started to create
And what I made, made me feel so elated and awake
I felt it would be wrong to escape and so I stayed
And lately it's been difficult to focus on the time
There are way too many pressures that are poking at my mind
They tell me who to be, how to think, and what to be,
And plus all my friends pretend I'm cool but really think I'm ugly
I'd love to be the student that I know that I could be
But I feel that we're all stupid when assuming we are free
So I appreciate your care and I'm aware that you're wise
But I wish you'd understand that I'm scared and I cry and
I don't want to lie, so I guess I should express
That I have no clue exactly what the question was you asked
And what's the task at hand, what are we trying to figure out,
And will I pass in class if I decide not to participate,
Will I advance in life if I don't get the grades expected,
Will I amount to nothing, will I be disrespected,
Cuz I believe that answers are like clouds in open skies
And all of them are perfect if I breathe and close my eyes
And when somebody makes me feel scared of failing a test
I instantly get tense and can barely barely effects
I'm very spacey, I stare at the wall,
I fiddle in my notebook, pass notes in the hall
And only when I feel like I'm not learning then I sleep,
So maybe it's not me maybe it's the way you teach."
"Oh Kris, thanks for sharing, I'm sorry to hear that you're been feeling overwhelmed with that weight you been gain you bet there are some things that we can do to make it better
Class what do you think, how about we brainstorm together, hands up everyone, place your votes,
How can a fellow student figure out what he's feeling and why?
Or continue with our discussion on geographical characteristics of mount Kilomanjaro
You decide."
"I have an idea
How about when you feel sleepy you focus on your breathing and think about what your eating
I learned in health class that the things that you put in your body
Have an effect on how well you process information
I seen you at the snack bar eyein down the donut holes
You know that those preservatives are one molecule away from plastic
A change in lifestyle is all takes to take control
And I believe you have what it takes to face and change your habits."
"Cynthia are you serious it's not what he's eating
It's because we're forced to wake up
We're teenagers we should be sleeping."
"Bryan please raise your hand when you have an idea
It's great to raise awareness but not when someone else is speaking.
Ashley what do you believe you've known Chris since middle school
What do you see that he can't, open up that window to him?"
"Well... okay
I guess I have a couple I could share...
Yeah... Alright
Well I think Chris thinks to much about what others think
Sounds to me like he's fed up with feeling tiny, small, and weak
Maybe he should start reading stuff he really likes
And work out every night, before writing rhymes,
I mean you spelt it out, he said he's insecure
He probably has an identity crisis built up over childhood years
And when your constantly confused and you don't know who you are
It's probably hard to look in the mirror much less appreciate your heart."
"Wow
Thanks Ashley, now look at we've done.
Chris what do you think about the ideas we come up with?"
"I agree
This is great, it's been a lot fun
I regained faith in myself and I feel like I have options
This actually makes me think how about once a week
We do something like this for everyone in class?
Honest it makes more sense to me to use our time together to discuss the conflicts in our lives that often make us feel stuck
And if we're honest with each other
And we honor each others perspective
Then maybe we'll get better at learning how to love."