My mom teaches high school

Ag science to be exact

She watches me with kids

Noting how well we interact

And can’t help but ask me

 “Why don’t you teach?”

 

I just shrug my shoulders and say

“No thank you, Not for me”

 

Now I can’t exactly be rude

And tell her ‘Oh hell the fuck no’

“I’ve seen that hell

and all it’s flack

Not for this gal

No.”

 

Jumping through hoops

And putting out fires

Mountains of work

All after hours

None tests or assignments

To be graded and given back

But lesson plans and lesson plans

til Ragnorak and back

 

Afternoon store runs

For staples

And Ink

And craft supplies

To help them understand

To see that connection

Light up behind their eyes

 

The breakdown of Earth’s soil layers

2 parts pudding,

3 part cookies,

all put in a cup

And green “Grass” sprinkles

To top it all off

 

Jokes that help to remember

Or movies and cartoons

Stolen from my collection

To help get through

Osmosis Jones is a white blood cell

He fights off germs and infections

Osmosis is the process of absorbing water and nutrients

To keep the body in working function

 

I see the way you make kids excited

To learn

To build

To Grow

Only for it to be brushed off

And take blow after blow

 

The Principal’s sister in law gets the raise

She who just sits

shows slides and hands out worksheets

Too busy with facebook

Only meeting requirements

 

While Mrs. P tries to find new ways

New techniques to help them see

To understand that formula

and this theorem,

Mrs. G wonders

why oh why

students are failing

when all she does is play Madea

 

Why two assistant principals

govern along side

because the head principal is never there

she is out in town

fixing up her nails and her hair

while ignorance and bullying are going down

 

The School board doesn’t give two shits,

Caring more about fundraisers

Cookie dough

And Statistics

 

And the lesson plans

And the lesson plans

And the Lesson Plans.

CAN’T YOU FOCUS?!

 

I’ve seen how corrupt the system is

from both sides of the fence.

Kids are quizzed to discover

Which learning styles best fit

Visual?

Audial?

Hands on?

But what good is it?!

 

still forced to do the same

‘fill in the blanks’

‘color in the bubbles’

Not even listening to their own results

Over their own hustle and bustle

 

Drowning out the cries of children

so over stressed

I’ve seen kids who sleep through class,

score perfect A.C.T.s.

And the brightest of classmates,

flunk standardized tests

 

“Dumb” kids

with Ds and Cs

Put together a metal chandelier

With the greatest of ease.

 

And that Jerk of Jock

He can pop it and lock

But is given no chance

When funds go to new hoops

Instead of dance

 

The liberal and visual arts

Get brushed aside

No longer seen as core subjects

In the governor’s eyes

When research says otherwise

 

Or the amount you can learn

Depends on where you live

Lower class and smaller towns

I can tell you

What ninety percent went on to do

 

Boys went offshore

For welding and war

Girls went for nursing

Physical therapy

And childcare, I’m sure

 

These are the jobs

They were told that matter

Versus big city kids

Who became lawyers

And writers

 

Your career choice based

On zip codes

And funding

When we all missed out

On the lesson of surviving

 

Save up now

Cook this

Buy that

How to buy a car

Where our nation is at

In politics and money

Where is it going

We’re tossed into life

Not even knowing

 

How to check your oil

Or know your own body

To practice safe sex

Or feel like a hottie

In your own skin

That models are photoshopped

The horrid world we live in

 

We’re not ready for all that

 

So she’ll ask me again

“Why don’t you teach?”

Because I see a lot of work

And no credit

No end in reach

 

I see kids who refuse to learn

And teachers too bored to teach

And those who it so badly

Are up a proverbial creek.

 

 

“Why don’t I teach?”

Let me try best way I know how

Inspiring others to find their voices

Raise awareness

Let’s see them stop us now.