WHAT HONSBRIDGE MAKE

It’s Teacher’s Day, and Honsbridge wishes to remind you all of the sacrifices teachers have made to bring out the best in Honnets.

Now, we could’ve scour the ‘Net looking for cliched words of wisdom by teachers about teaching. Or we could introduce you to one particular teacher named Taylor Mali who, a decade ago, wrote a slam poet about the experiences and sacrifices teachers have gone through to bring out the best in kids, called ‘What Teachers Make’:

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 dinner guests
that it’s also true what they say about some people.
Because we’re eating, after all, and this is polite conversation.

I mean, you’re a teacher.
Be honest. What do you make?

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.

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 go to the bathroom?
Because you’re bored.
And you don’t really have to go to the bathroom, do you?

I make parents tremble in fear when I call home:
Hi. This is the teacher. I hope I haven’t called at a bad time,
I just wanted to talk to you about something your son said today.
To the biggest bully in the grade, he said,
“Leave the kid alone. I still cry sometimes, don’t you?
It’s no big deal.”
And that was 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.
I make them read, read, 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’ve got this,
then you follow this,
and if someone ever tries to judge you
by what you make, you give them this.

Here, let me break it down for you, so you know what I say is true:
Teachers make a HUGE difference! Now what about you?

Mali, Taylor. “What Teachers Make.”

Taylor Mali wrote the above poem as a response to mostly rich types who underestimated teachers and only judge them by how much money they make, not by their quality they bring. This poem is dedicated to teachers and parents who had done their best to bring out brightest out of their students.

From Honsbridge,

HAPPY TEACHERS’ DAY!!