Older Teacher
I drink my
Coffee darker
My comments
Are starker
I don’t care about
Your late paper
Or if you
Are a faker
Go ahead eat
It’s OK to talk
I am not
Quick to shock
Not my rules
Not my school
No need for me
To be cruel
All the tears
I tasted
The students
I wasted
I was a tool
And saw a nail
My anger
Was for sale
Each day I get
To go back
This time I
Cut some slack
I won’t master
Or enslave
Any child
Who misbehaves
My classroom
Is a temple
For unbelievers
To disassemble
–Ticky Kennedy
Poet in Residence
SchoolNewsToday.com
NOTES
The school-to-prison pipeline, “reflects a disturbing and retributive narrative that has contributed to the criminalization of childhood and adolescence and has disproportionately affected our most vulnerable populations.” Shutting Down the School-to-Prison Pipeline, The American Bar Association Human Rights Magazine.
“Students are often removed from class for the smallest transgression, and miss out on learning as a result. It’s time for some perspective.” Secret Teacher: My School’s Endless Rules Do More Harm Than Good. The Guardian.
“If the only tool you have is a hammer, it is tempting to treat everything as if it were a nail,” Abraham Maslow.
Also Read: Academic Condolence Cards