Poem: September 14, 2019

Some Ways I Don't Want You To Teach

Don't teach like a drill sergeant, all straight
lines and rules. Don't teach like anything is
simple or obvious or fits in a spreadsheet.

Don't teach like a first responder, finger on
the panic button, your only purpose to find
and put out fires. Try not to put out fires.

Don't teach like a fulcrum, balancing one
side against the other. You aren't a scale.
Don't fall in love with your answer keys.

Don't teach like a rocket, locked on a target,
racing mindlessly along a narrow path. Don't
be the shortest distance between two points.

Don't teach like the business world, guided
by a bottom line. Don't trust the market, or
believe that it is fair. Don't sell off the rack.

Don't teach like a commercial. Don't sell
yourself as a solution to be desired or an
idea to become. Don't define a kid's needs.