Zen Pencils by Gavin Aung Than for July 11, 2016
Transcript:
WHAT TEACHERS MAKE A poem by TAYLOR MALI Art by Zen Pencils He says the problem with teachers is: Man: What’s a kid going to learn… …from someone who decided his best option in life… Man: …was to become a TEACHER? HA HA HA HA He reminds the other dinner guests that it’s true what they say about teachers: Man: Those who can, DO. Those who can’t, TEACH. HA HA HA HA 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 LAWYERS. Because we’re eating after all, and this is POLITE conversation. Man: I mean, YOU’RE a teacher, Taylor. Man: Be honest. Man: What do you make? And I wish he hadn’t done that - asked me to be honest. Because, you see, I have this policy about HONESTY and ASS-KICKING: if you ask for it, THEN I HAVE TO LET YOU HAVE IT. Taylor: YOU WANT TO KNOW WHAT I MAKE? Taylor: I make kids work harder than they ever thought they could. I can make a C+ feel like a congressional medal of honor. C+ And an A- feel like a slap in the face. A Taylor: How dare you waste my time with anything LESS than your very BEST. I make kids sit through forty minutes of study hall in ABSOLUTE SILENCE. Taylor: No, you may not work in groups. Taylor: No, you may not ask a question. Taylor: Why won’t I let you go to the bathroom? Taylor: Because you’re bored. Taylor: And you don’t really have to go to the bathroom, do you? I make parents tremble in fear when I call home. RING! RING! Taylor: Hi, this is Mr. Mali. 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: Boy: Leave the kid alone. I still cry sometimes. DON’T YOU? Boy: It’s no big deal. Taylor: And that was the noblest act of courage I have EVER seen. KISS KISS KISS KISS KISS KISS KISS KISS KISS I make parents see their children for who they are and what they can be. Taylor: 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. HARRY POTTER I make them spell… DEFINITELY BEAUTIFUL DEFINITELY BEAUTIFUL DEF-I-NITE-LY B-E-A-UTIFUL …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. Taylor: I make them understand that if you’ve got THIS… Taylor: …then you follow THIS. Taylor: And if someone EVER tries to judge you by what you make… Taylor: …you give them THIS. Taylor: Here, let me break it down for you, so you know what I say is true. Taylor: Teachers make a goddamn difference. Taylor: Now what about you?
hawgowar over 8 years ago
Many young teachers are not entirely literate, and they teach from rote, even when you show them proof that what they are teaching is wrong (the name of Robert Fulton’s ship, for example – it was NOT named the Clermont). They hide behind union rules. The best thing I ever did was to withdraw my children from public schools and home school them. Both graduated summa cum laude from their respective colleges.
I had nothing more than a high school diploma. But I did read – a lot. I had to un-learn much of what I was taught in public school and become an autodidact. The NEA got a stranglehold on education by blackmailing the departments of education, and things have been going downhill ever since.
Yes, there are many fine teachers still in the schools, but they are declining in number as union drones are taking over public education. If you love your kids, send them to private schools or else home school them. Today’s public schools are a disgrace. Disagree? Look at the big city public schools. Look at how much they spend per pupil and then look at the dismal results of all that spending. Chicago, LA, New York, Detroit, Miami, the list goes on. Failing public schools which are leaving our kids behind even second-world nations.
meowlin over 8 years ago
Veritas.
hawgowar over 8 years ago
PS: Lawyers are far worse than teachers, that much is true.
Rocky Premium Member over 8 years ago
Outstanding.
myyahoonowork over 8 years ago
“No, you may not ask a question”
“I make them question.”
I’ve had teachers like this before. They made me hate school so much that I didn’t even consider going to collage. Heck if I didn’t graduate high school when I did I’d have dropped out.
Bill The Nuke over 8 years ago
I’ve had teachers that inspired me and teachers that drove me to despair. My children had the same. There’s no one description that fits except that they are all human.
scaeva Premium Member over 8 years ago
Unfortunately, such teachers are becoming rarer by the day, thanks to idiot administrators and politicians who dictate what and how they will teach. Most of the stuff this guy is doing would get him fired and blacklisted (yes, it is done) today.
Chrystos B Minot Premium Member over 8 years ago
Bravo, Gavin. Words of sagacity, words of courage, words of truth; and the visuals and graphics to back it up. I appreciate that your teacher did not resort to violence toward the bottom feeder of a lawyer. This installment of Z.P. brought tears to my eyes and engendered deep breathing (a la jai mula bandha) which is a good thing, in the recovery phase of physical training, before breakfast … Anyway, enough about me. Kudos to you, and to Taylor Mali…! Keep up the great work!
Vet Premium Member over 8 years ago
What do teachers make??No where near enough……monetary or credit.
Kind&Kinder over 8 years ago
A GOOD teacher makes a positive difference. A BAD teacher produces some of the negative experiences posted here. I can’t help remembering all the really good teachers I had who inspired me. Yet, I can’t forget Paul Simon’s famous line, “When I think back on all the crap I learned in high school, it’s a wonder I can think at all.”—“Kodachrome”
Strider Keninginne Premium Member over 8 years ago
May this teacher go ballistic on someone who’ll clean his clock and school him on controlling his temper. There’s a much better way to answer than to shout and physically assault someone who provokes one. This teacher has won a battle, but lost the war in gaining respect for teachers. I lost respect for this character when he lost his self control.
Julius Marold Premium Member over 8 years ago
Obviously unionized
Bill The Nuke over 8 years ago
We pay athletes millions of dollars to play games and won’t pay teachers a decent wage. Go figure.
FreyjaRN Premium Member over 8 years ago
My mom & stepdad were teachers in public schools. They sent me to parochial school. They were paid crap.