This is a terrible poem, written in about five minutes. I was just trying to write something from my son’s perspective. Although I’ve written a few cool poems, poetry is just not my thing. It doesn’t flow from me easily, and when it does, you can see the results aren’t great. However, I do feel that I captured my teenage son pretty well which was the main goal.
I wrote this poem years ago. I ran into it (not literally) this morning as I was looking through my stuff at school. In education, we constantly discuss what is happening with the changes that are occurring, it seems, on a daily basis. The reference we use is called the “the pendulum swing.” Right now it seems as if the pendulum is stuck in one spot. Kids don’t understand how to fail and do it gracefully. Everyone deserves a trophy these days.
Don’t get me wrong. I love this profession. But I heartily admit that I feel that my kids came out of my class more intelligent when I was able to teach my own thing in the classroom. When I tested them on my own terms instead of the government’s terms, their grammar was better. We could explore the material. Right now, it’s all about high stakes testing and making sure they are ready for the one test they take yearly to make sure they measure up with all the other kids in the United States along with all the other kids in every country in the world. What happened to reading for pleasure? What happened to writing for fun?
When I saw this poem in my notebook, I couldn’t believe that I had written it in 2005. Nothing has changed. The pendulum is stuck. This is what it was like in 2005, and it is still happening. I hope you enjoy, even if you aren’t in education.
The Blame Game: The Politics of Teaching
Politics.
The ugliest word in the English language….
Or is it the ugliest word in the workplace?
One thing is certain.
Politics must be the most misunderstood word in the English language.
With politics you always have…
People telling you
“You can grade the way you want”
But it really means
“You can grade the way you want…
Provided all the kids pass.”
Or people always telling you
“We want the students to be successful”
But it really means
“As a teacher
You are not successful.”
Or people always telling you
“We need to change the culture of our school”
But it really means
“The government is breathing down our backs.
We’re doing everything we can to meet the standards.”
Or people asking you
“What are you going to do to help my kids be successful?”
But it really means
“I don’t know what else to do at home
And you’re left to blame.”
Or people asking you
“What exactly IS your failure percentage?”
But it really means
“My kid is failing
And you’re the cause of it.”
So why exactly do politics exist?
Politic means prudent.
Why is it that we know what is prudent,
But we don’t always follow through with this idea?
If politic means prudent, why do we always put the blame
On someone else?
Answer.
Because politics show us that putting the blame on others…
Is prudent for us as individuals.
How sad is that?
We are trying to teach our students that they must accept responsibility,
But our entire society is based on a practice as old as our country;
The practice of politics.
The practice of avoiding undesirable consequences.
Last week I posted one of my poems about the topic of drugs. I think I’ll keep with that topic this week. Last week’s poem was a little disheartening, but this one isn’t. I hope you enjoy it. As always, this is my work. If you desire to use it for anything, give credit please.
The Lesson
Because of you,
I have seen the degrading world of drugs.
Because of you,
I can recognize the sweet rotting smell (or metallic smell) of a meth addict.
Because of you,
I know the all-consuming thoughts of putting something else first.
Because of you,
I took off the rose-colored glasses in order to better see the lies.
Because of you,
I learned to hope for the first time.
Because of you,
I have also experienced the biggest sense of failure I have ever known.
Because of you,
I carried the burden of a broken heart.
Because of you,
I have learned to love myself as much as you hate yourself.
I wrote this in December of 2008. It’s pretty obvious it’s about drug use, but I really think it could be about any type of addiction. On a funny note (because the poem is not funny at all), the only reason I even remembered having written it was because my Shih Tzu Zeus will not stop licking this one spot on his hind leg. I literally told him, “Zeus! Stop it! I know it’s an addiction, buddy, but this has to stop before you go bald.” Yes, I talk to my dogs. I was getting ready to post to this blog as I said it. Then it hit me that I had written several poems about addiction. Obviously, they’re much darker than my little dog licking his hind leg. I hope you enjoy. Please remember to credit me if you choose to use any of my work.
I love to write, but I am one of those people who are frozen, waiting for the ideas to come. I know there are stories trapped in this brain of mine; it’s just a matter of breaking them out. What feels like a paralyzing inability to come up with a good idea has kept me from writing for years. Because of this, I have felt like such a hypocrite because I teach high school English where we read amazing literature and constantly write.
Up until a few years ago, I never tried writing poetry. I thought my paralyzing thoughts of failure would be best be expressed in a poem. I don’t feel that I’m a great poet, but everything I do write is extremely heartfelt. I hope you enjoy this one. It’s short and not so sweet.
She knows
Overcoming My Ink Monster 