Zen Pencils by Gavin Aung Than for July 11, 2016
July 04, 2016
July 18, 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?
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.