Our value;

Our score

We mean nothing more

They say you'll forget who was best dressed

But emphasize the importance of standardized tests

As if we are solely worth our academic success

The grade book nearly our

Analects, Bible, Torah

And I don't think theres any more to me

Than these letters on sheets

That determine my productivity

Go on, make a name

For yourself

But remember to maintain

That perfect A

I used to say to live outside of the box

But I've learned that the box is much too hard to break

Our measurement of progress is something I could never shake

You are valued if you can find x or y or z

But after school,

What do these letters even mean to me?

The problems on paper

Don't measure up to real life

Most of the time

I'm just a number on a sheet

The 92% defines me

There is no such thing as an easy A

Because as teachers grade papers

We degrade ourselves

And the biggest and truest measurement of worth

Is not how we learn in class

But how we learn to love ourselves