An Ode To My Temp Job At Measured Progress Poem by gina prettybrowneyes

8: 00am Sunday.
MCAS Science and Technology Grade 5; all fields.
Last names: Sanchez, Hernandez, Fernandez, Vazquez,
Nguyen. Georgesuper.
First names: Promise, Li, Jaethan, Saab.
Upper and lower case,
Sophia or Sophla?
Erasure marks, sticky notes,
Dark scans that pick up dust, children
Who lack fine motor skills:
Writing in 'Ashley, '
The scanner readS 'A**XYR.'
Three of us standing around a monitor, musing,
Deciphering, hypothesizing.

15 min break at 10: 00am

Student Id, Student Labels: 6's bending into 9's,
8's blurring into 3's,
108403869251.
NO_VALUE_RECOGNIZED
70,000 faulty eighth grade bar codes
To be typed in by hand.

30 minute lunch at 12: 00pm

ScanEdit Station.
NECAP Math Grade 8:
Bubble. Bubble.
Circled. X-ed out.
Outlined. Check marked.
Bubble.Bubble.

15 min break at 2: 00pm.

Bubble.
Asterisk means more than one response;
Is A lighter than B? How much lighter?
Let's say the kid just has a very dark pencil,
Erased A, and meant B.
Light scans are a Where's Waldo game of find the circle
That is slightly darker than the other circles.
Write-in questions brighten the monotony:
How many apples does Jan have and how do you know?
'I don't understand the question.'
'Four. Because seven minus three is four.'
'-drawing of a robot-'
' Five. 'Cause it's the answer.'
'I hate you! '

Log out 4: 00pm, with the option of staying until 6: 00pm

One Monday they tell us there is no more work and we
Hand in our plastic badges on colored lanyards,
Push in our chairs,
Go.