Pretty Good (CCRS Student Poem)

Pretty Good

Written by an Alabama High School Student 
about our College and Career Ready Standards

There once was a pretty good student, who sat in a pretty good class

And was taught the state standards by a teacher, who let pretty good pass.

He wasn't terrific at reading; he wasn't a whiz-bang at math. 


But the state standards for his education led straight down a pretty good path.

He didn't find school too exciting, but he wanted to do pretty well,

And he did have some trouble with writing, and nobody had taught him to spell.

When doing arithmetic problems, pretty good was regarded as fine. 


Minimal standards were enough, with no need to be challenged all the time.

The pretty good class that he sat in was part of a pretty good school. 


And the student was not an exception; on the contrary, he was the rule.

The pretty good student in fact was part of a pretty good mob. 


The first time he knew what he lacked was when he looked for a pretty good job.

It was then, when he sought a position, he discovered that life could be tough, 


And he soon had a sneaky suspicion pretty good might not be good enough.

The pretty good student in our story lived in a pretty good state, 


Which had pretty good minimum standards, and prayed for a pretty good fate.

There was once a pretty good nation, pretty proud of the greatness it had, 


Which learned much too late, 
If you want to be great, 


Pretty good is, in fact, pretty bad.