 | Teacher vs. Attorney |
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What Teachers Make, or
Objection Overruled, or
If things don’t work out, you can always go to law school
Taylor Mali
He says the problem with teachers is, "What’s a kid going to learn
from someone who decided his best option in life was to become a teacher?"
He reminds the other dinner guests that it’s true what they say about
teachers:
Those who can, do; those who can’t, teach.
I decide to bite my tongue instead of his
and resist the temptation to remind the other dinner guests
that it’s also true what they say about lawyers.
Because we’re eating, after all, and this is polite company.
"I mean, you’re a teacher, Taylor," he says.
"Be honest. What do you make?"
And I wish he hadn’t done that
(asked me to be honest)
because, you see, I have a policy
about honesty and ass-kicking:
if you ask for it, I have to let you have it.
You want to know what I make?
I make kids work harder than they ever thought they could.
I can make a C+ feel like a Congressional medal of honor
and an A- feel like a slap in the face.
How dare you waste my time with anything less than your very best.
I make kids sit through 40 minutes of study hall
in absolute silence. No, you may not work in groups.
No, you may not ask a question.
Why won’t I let you get a drink of water?
Because you’re not thirsty, you’re bored, that’s why.
I make parents tremble in fear when I call home:
I hope I haven’t called at a bad time,
I just wanted to talk to you about something Billy said today.
Billy said, "Leave the kid alone. I still cry sometimes, don’t you?"
And it was the noblest act of courage I have ever seen.
I make parents see their children for who they are
and what they can be.
You want to know what I make?
I make kids wonder,
I make them question.
I make them criticize.
I make them apologize and mean it.
I make them write, write, write.
And then I make them read.
I make them spell definitely beautiful, definitely beautiful, definitely
beautiful
over and over and over again until they will never misspell
either one of those words again.
I make them show all their work in math.
And hide it on their final drafts in English.
I make them understand that if you got this (brains)
then you follow this (heart) and if someone ever tries to judge you
by what you make, you give them this (the finger).
Let me break it down for you, so you know what I say is true:
I make a goddamn difference! What about you?
***
Fabulous or what? Gotta love a passionate man.
Wanna see and hear the poet recite the poem? CLICK HERE
And then visit his fabulously put together website, where he is sporting long hair and looking damn good. GET YOUR BUTT OVER THERE NOW
And you can READ HIS BLOG HERE
Oh, and he has some very cool STUFF FOR SALE HERE
FYI, a beloved and cherished caller, who just so happens to be an attorney, sent me this particular poem.
Thank you Mr J.: For the poetry you’ve learned to love (for which I happily take credit *wink*), the friendship you share, your outrageous sense of humor and your beautifully liberal heart. Not to mention the fabulous kink you share with me … or whoever happens to pick up the phone.
xo, Angela
A nice work, Angela. You know, I have always disliked that line about those that can DO and those that can’t TEACH.
The bozo that first made that remark, forgot, that he/she learned to write those demeaning words from one of those “can’t do people”.
I think that there is perhaps no more noble a profession than teaching, especially considering that it does not pay as well as other professions where many people sell out for the money.
Passionate, indeed. And the pride in his chosen profession is something we would all strive for. A great choice for your PSOetry category, Angela. Keep them coming.
Are you the sexiest, smartest chick on the Internet? Or is it just my imagination?
These are the teachers who could change the world. We need lots of them. Thanks for turning us on to this guy. He is inspirational.
Wow. I can’t believe one of your callers sent you a Taylor Mali poem. It makes me feel like my secret world and my public world are colliding. You should see him perform live he is pretty damn awesome (also one of the more controversial figures in our slam poetry community for reasons that have nothing to do with his poetry but I love him).
A really great poem. His reading of it at YouTube was intense. But now Isabel has wet my appetite for some gossip. What’s the scoop.
Do tell, dear girl.
Maybe the best thing one can do for the world, aside from achieving one’s own potential, is helping another achieve his. Teachers do this, of course. But I would maintain that sometimes lawyers do too. Brown v. Board of Education comes to mind.
Anyway, thanks for the post.
Hooray for all those teachers that, without much support or encouragement, struggle on and, despite all the obstacles, really do manage to make an important difference in future lives.
I hear you PQS. I guess what it comes down to is horray for anybody who is fighting the good fight. Not always easy to do, but probably the only thing that will really count when it’s all said and done.
Good poem, Angela. Always intriguing to see what you come up with next.