What do teachers make? Pay can be little, so what inspires them to teach? What motivates them to come to work each day? What keeps teachers from getting burned out when the pay alone doesn't seem worth it?
Poet and teacher Taylor Mali penned one excellent answer. He became famous for his poem (and later his book) entitled What Teachers Make. He penned the words to this poem after a discouraging dinner party. The host—a lawyer—seemed to be set on the idea that your income determines your importance. For instance, the host said, “Those who can, do; those who can’t, teach. . . I mean, you’re a teacher, Taylor. Be honest. What do you make?”
Taylor didn’t lash out at that moment. In his own words, Taylor comically says, “I decided 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. . .” Taylor went home later and wrote his famous poem—the response he wished he had given. In effect, he wrote that he makes a difference (as the T-shirt image below portrays). His book is really meaningful for us teachers. If you buy it or the T shirt, please use this link as I get a very small commission off of each sale.
Following is an excerpt from his poem to remind you that each of us amazing teachers are making a difference. (If you’d like, you can watch him perform the poem in the video below.)
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.
....I make a difference.
KEEP MAKING A DIFFERENCE, EDUCATORS! You got this! If you are looking for further encouragment for teaching, you might enjoy my blog post about noticing the good in your classroom. Click here to view it. You might also enjoy just browsing my blog archive to read all the uplifting messages
As always, hang in there, Teach!
Happy Teaching,
Frank
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