"First Day Fly" by Jason Reynolds

his birthday

his favorite holiday

his first day of school

his first day on a new team

His classmates were acting immature.

Another student got mud on his shoes.

He did not know how to solve a formula.

The other students looked better than he did.

He irons it.

He asks his mother to iron it.

He uses a ruler to scrape the mud off.

He uses steam from the shower to get the wrinkles out.

She used a measuring stick to measure a room.

She used a square container to hold her things.

She used a machine to help plan her garden.

She used a semi-circular tool to draw an angle.

measure a line through the center of each object

observe the daily behavior of each object

weigh the mass at rest of each object

feel the texture of each object

a straight line

a tool used in geometry

the tallest part of a building

the longest side of a right triangle

Sucking your teeth is not actually mature.

Mooing like cows is not actually immature.

Mrs. Montgomery is actually very understanding.

Mrs. Montgomery actually remembers this kind of pain.

buying things from the coolest store

doing all of the preparation yourself

making it seem like you did not try too hard

sticking to your plan no matter what happens

Creases are for church pants. And you ain't wearing church pants to school, even if Jesus asked you to.

Always a tricky experience moving through the store, past the jewelry counter through the jungle of women's underwear where everything hands in single pieces, to the factory of men's underwear where everything is folded and packaged like cotton marshmallows.

Because it's still just a T-shirt... You don't want to take it too seriously. So you have to take it really seriously.

But she's still your mother. So when she says turn the shower off, you turn the shower off.

He is nervous and afraid of her.

He respects her and learns from her.

He thinks she is the authority on what is fly.

He is frustrated by her lack of understanding.

She knows how to steam and starch a thing to life. Make it look newer than it looked when it was new. But she said she ain’t your maid and asked if you thought the reason she taught you to iron at six years old was so that she could keep doing it for you.

Because it’s still just a T-shirt. An undershirt, as your mother calls it.

This time it’s your mother and she’s telling you that water, like money, don’t grow on trees, so if you ain’t washing your body you need to cut the shower off unless you want to see steam turn into smoke, and you have no idea what that means but you know it would be foolish to find out.

And you will suck your teeth as your mother shakes her head, licks her thumb to clean crust from your eyes.

Reliving the past is important because it helps us hold on to moments we don’t want to forget.

School should be the most important thing in a young person’s life because it shapes their entire future.

People should not allow their appearance to define their self-worth, since true confidence comes from within.

First impressions matter because they shape how we want others to see us and how we see ourselves.

“But tomorrow is the first day. A day that counts. And you are ready for it. … Your older brother has finally given you his favorite pair of jeans … Yes. You can’t wait. A week ago, you turned them inside out, washed them in cold water, hung them over the shower rod to drip dry …”

"Princess Press. Iron Woman. Can turn wrinkled fabric into something like thinly sliced pieces of wood. She knows how to steam and starch a thing to life."

"And you will suck your teeth as your mother shakes her head, licks her thumb to clean crust from your eyes. Because that's how you bring things back to life."

"You push a finger through the packaging, puncturing the transparent skin of it, ripping it open before finally pulling a shirt from the strange plastic cocoon housing three of the most beautiful butterflies ever."

By using comparisons, the author shows that the narrator thinks poetry is the best form of literature.

By referring to the main character as "you," the author shows that the narrator knows and understands the main character well.

By giving examples of the main character's dislike for school, the author shows that the narrator believes education is unimportant.

By referring to Big Foot Baker by a nickname, the author shows that the narrator does not care to remember this painful period in his life.

The narrator is more focused on being the class clown than on his academic performance.

The narrator's sense of style is important to him, and he values his appearance.

The narrator is curious, and he asks a lot of questions.

The narrator prefers science to math class.

You are sent to the principal's office by Mrs. Montgomery.

The packaging is punctured by your finger.

You hang the jeans across the chair in your room.

Your favorite pair of jeans have finally been given to you by your brother.

room

stand

mirror

dress