The True Genius of Educational Legislation

I was looking back on some things I had written during my student teaching and I came across this poem. I remember the frustration that brought this poem about; frustration with a system that consistently gives our kids the short end of the stick, leaving them behind in a world where they have to be ahead. I believe many teachers and people in education can relate to this feeling with the system. We did a project in one of my college classes where modeled the writing of Obama's democratic address. This is the poem that resulted from that project:

The True Genius of Educational Legislation

That is the true genius of educational legislation,
A system of flaws; a complete dependence on governing bodies;
That we can stop paying teachers
And know that our students will still get taught;
That we can cut the budget; cut out art programs,
Without too much complaint from the masses;
That we can regulate and standardize curriculum
Without any checks or balances;
That we can expect students to learn and grow
Without an effective plan or any funds to support them
And that our kids might just become
Productive members of society
--At least most of the time.

*Modeled from an excerpt of Obama's democratic address

Sometimes it's good to look back and remember how creative we are. It's good for me as a teacher--and it's good for our students. When they look back at something they've done that was creative and great, they gain the confidence to create again.