I found this Poem at the back of Carol Ann Tomlinson’s and Marcia B. Imbeau’s “leading and managing a differentiated classroom” (expect a full book review in the future)
Yes, But….
I teach in a four-wall box of drab proportions,
but choose to make it a place that feels like home.
I see too many students to know them as they need to be known,
But refuse to let that render them faceless in my mind.
I am overcome with the transmission of a cannon I can scarcely recall myself,
But will not represent learning as a burden to the young.
I suffer from a poverty of time,
And so will use what I have to best advantage those I teach.
I am an echo of the way school has been since forever,
But will not agree to perpetuate the echo for another generation.
I am told I am as good a teacher as the test scores I generate,
But will not allow my students to see themselves as data.
I work in isolation,
And am all the more determined to connect my students with the world.
I am small in the chain of power,
But have the power to change young lives.
there are many reasons to succumb,
And thirty reasons five times a day to succeed.
Most decisions about my job are removed from me ,
Except the ones that matter most.
I’m unsure of the author but the sentiment should be burned into the heart of every teacher. When I find myself struggling and frustrated I find it calms me and helps me to regain my balance.
My thanks to the poet for catching so beautifully the struggles and triumphs of teaching.
