What a Teacher Makes

[Omaha Steve]

I just got this in an email from my good friend John. Retired. Was a good union member.


The dinner guests were sitting around the table discussing life.

One man, a CEO, decided to explain the problem with
education. He argued, 'What's a kid going to learn
from someone who decided his best option in life was to
become a teacher?'

He reminded the other dinner guests what they say about
teachers: 'Those who can, do. Those who can't, teach.'

To stress his point he said to another guest;
'You're a teacher, Bonnie. Be honest. What do you make?'

Bonnie, who had a reputation for honesty and frankness
replied, 'You want to know what I make? (She paused
for a second, then began...)

'Well, I make kids work harder than they ever thought
they could.

I make a C+ feel like the Congressional Medal of Honor
winner

I make kids sit through 40 minutes of class time when their
parents can't make them sit for 5 without an I Pod, Game
Cube or movie rental.

You want to know what I make?' (She paused again and
looked at each and every person at the table.)


I make kids wonder.

I make them question.

I make them apologize and mean it.

I make them have respect and take responsibility for their
actions.

I teach them to write and then I make them write.
Keyboarding isn't everything.

I make them read, read, read.

I make them show all their work in math. They use their God-
given brain, not the man-made calculator.

I make my students from other countries learn everything
they need to know about English while preserving their
unique cultural identity.

I make my classroom a place where all my students feel
safe.

I make my students stand, placing their hand over their
heart to say the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag, One
Nation Under God, because we live in the United States of
America .

Finally, I make them understand that if they use the gifts
they were given, work hard, and follow their hearts,
they can succeed in life.

(Bonnie paused one last time and then continued.)

'Then, when people try to judge me by what I make,
with my knowing money isn't everything, I can hold my
head up high and pay no attention because they are
ignorant... You want to know what I make?

I MAKE A DIFFERENCE. What do you make Mr. CEO?'

His jaw dropped, he went silent.

[BelgianMadCow]

1. Great rant. Recommended. nt

[femmocrat]

2. Thank you, Steve.

I am forwarding this to all my fellow teachers. :hug:

[childslibrarian]

3. Thanks...from a teacher

I have had another profession (clinical social worker--piece of cake). This profession requires so much physical stamina.
If people only knew the amount of energy it takes to keep up with small children. I don't have a desk, I never sit, I don't eat lunch, (5 mintues bolting down food at my kid's tables), on Friday nights I go to sleep at 6pm. I work a 10 hour day every day. That's it. 10 months of the year I literally do not have a life. I don't go anywhere on weekends, I just rest up. I love the kids, but it is one tough profession.

[AwakeAtLast]

9. I thought I was the only one who needed to spend the whole weekend resting up

I see 850 children a week - and it is so very tiring. If I didn't love teaching children I wouldn't be doing it, but I think I have reached my limit on remembering names and keeping track. I'm hoping to get a little relief next year.

:hug: from another teacher!

[lib_wit_it]

14. None of my 9 or 10 different jobs has been as hard as teaching. After 20 years in a tough district,

I burned out so badly they almost had to spread my ashes. Not to say no one else works as hard, but few work harder than a dedicated, tough, good teacher.

[saltpoint]

4. Recommended.

(If you can read this excellent OP by Omaha Steve, thank a teacher.)

[The Backlash Cometh]

5. Those who can't lie, teach.

[noamnety]

6. Proper credit goes to the poet Taylor Mali

Here's a link to the real poem (the email butchers it a bit):

http://www.taylormali.com/index.cfm?webid=13

And a youtube of him performing it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xuFnP5N2uA

Mali's a poetry slam champion, and appears in the documentary SlamNation. :)

[Omaha Steve]

12. Thanks for the correction

It was needed.

[noamnety]

15. There's another great poem by him that folks here would like:

How to write a political poem: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vwTbRjUKQb0

[druidity33]

18. excellenet stuff... nt

[knitter4democracy]

7. Heh. That's a kick-ass answer.

My teaching motto is from the 1997 National Teacher of the Year (I hope she can forgive me that I can't remember her name off the top of my head): "English teachers teach reading, writing, thinking, and dreaming." That's exactly what we do, and the reality is, most teachers do, too.

[tblue37]

8. I could do without this part:

I make my students stand, placing their hand over their heart to say the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag, One Nation Under God, because we live in the United States of America.

I especially could do without the "under God" part, since I am an agnostic, and so are my own kids. But my sister is a Jehovah's Witness, and her kids had to leave the classroom (and suffer mockery for it) when the Pledge was recited, because they are not allowed to swear secular oaths. The required Pledge is definitely something I would prefer teachers not make students do, especially the "under God" part.

[roody]

11. Theoretically, a teacher cannot make a student say the pledge.

I have the honor of modeling NOT saying the pledge at Monday a.m. flag assembly. I am a teacher. At my school, we respect the JW's beliefs and do not pressure them to conform or single them out as different.

[noamnety]

13. That part isn't in the real poem.

I linked it, but here's the full text for people who don't feel like clicking. At least this way if anyone feels like forwarding it, they can get the original version:

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, you¹re 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?

[AwakeAtLast]

10. Almost as good as the blueberry story

Thanks for posting, Steve!

[maryf]

16. K&R

Thanks, something to share with my colleagues...my year was made recently when a student told me I made her think harder than any of her other teachers!

[BrklynLiberal]

17. If salaries were actually commensurate with the importance of the job to

the future of this country, teachers would be making at least as much as the highest paid CEO.

I get so pissed when I hear people complaining about how much teachers make. It is never enough as far as I am concerned.
In NYC I have seen the decline of what was once a magnificent public school system. There are constant fights between the city, the state and the teachers' union. As the pay scale...relative to cost of living...has gone down, so has the quality of the people that are attracted to teaching...and therefore the entire system, and hopes for our children's future are going down with all the rest.

Our entire future and that of our children rests in the hands of our teachers. Property taxes that support the school systems should be paid happily, even if you do not have children in the school. A good school system will increase the value of your house. As the systems stay good, so do the value of the houses in that community.

College entrants who need remedial reading classes and cannot do basic algebra or geometry and do not know the three parts of our government are a national disgrace. For those that do not choose to go to college there should be an opportunity to go to excellent trade schools where they can learn a skill that will allow them to get a good job.

Ignorance is the friend of despots and dictators. If we want to hold onto the freedoms and ideals that founded this country we must have EDUCATED CHILDREN. The keys to that are excellent teachers and excellent schools...and they do not come cheaply. I will never understand why a sports star should be earning millions while a teacher is supposed to be thrilled with 40,000-50,000/yr.

Who is REALLY more essential to the future of this country, and to each of our children??

[soothsayer]

19. they make $100k in california, don't they?

[Greyskye]

20. That is some kind of a stupid joke, right?

I mean, a really really stupid joke. :eyes:

Signed - husband of a California teacher.

[Sancho]

21. I love it!

:dem:

[Help_I_Live_In_Idaho]

22. Wonderful

Perfect. My wife is a college professor with an MBA and a Doctorate $24 K /year and she makes the world a wonderful place in similar ways.

You can't put a price on that, but it would say a lot if she got a salary that one could support herself on.

Thanks for this

[Omaha Steve]

23. Glad you found it

It's been awhile since it was posted.