Beat of a Different Marcher

Beat of a Different Marcher
By Debbie Silver & Monte Selby

Bobby marches to the beat of his different drummers
Jeffery does his reading, but he can’t do numbers
Shawna’s up and talkin’ 90 miles an hour, again
Can’t find his book or pencil, that would be Ben

Hyperactive, dyslexic, class clown, non-reader
Upper class, no class, off-task, bottom feeder
Little Arty’s a challenge; Martin’s a dream
We’ve seen them all, they all need to be seen.

All children in reach when we find their rhythm --
The step, the dance, the song within them
That’s a better journey, but so much harder
Too extraordinary, but so much smarter
To drum to the beat of each different marcher.

Sandy’s in the slow group, a proven low achiever
She’s the small quiet one, not a class leader
Crayons in her hand, she can draw what she knows best
But no room for pictures on the standardized test.

Ballerina, bricklayer, biochemist, ball player
Diesel driver, drum major, diva-destined, dragon slayer --
Some kids have a chance, with a different choice
To show what they know, they must have a voice.

All children in reach when we find their rhythm --

The step, the dance, the song within them
That’s a better journey, but so much harder
Too extraordinary, but so much smarter
To drum to the beat of each different marcher.

Introspective, oversized, minimized, criticized
Round holes, square lives, not much room for compromise.
There’s a new song not yet written
For each and every child, will we listen?

All children in reach when we find their rhythm --
The step, the dance, the song within them
That’s a better journey, but so much harder
Too extraordinary, but so much smarter
To drum to the beat of each different marcher.
Let’s all dance to the beat of each different marcher!

(reprinted with permission of Streetsinger Music Company