My graduate school advisor said,
“You should pursue a doctoral degree.”
“No,” I said, “I want to teach.”

The interviewer said,
“We’d like to offer you the position. The pay will be low, your insurance costs will be high.”
“I’ll take it,” I said, “I want to teach.”

The principal said,
“We’re short staffed. We need you to take on extra classes this year.”
“Fine,” I said, “I want to teach.”

The department head said,
“We couldn’t afford enough books this year, so you’ll be short.”
“I’ll make it work,” I said, “I want to teach.”

The kids said,
“Can we have our club meeting in your room at lunch?”
“Sure,” I said, “I want to teach.”

Facilities said,
“We don’t have any more desks. You’ll have to make do with what you have.”
“I’ll figure something out,” I said, “I want to teach.”

The state said,
“We need higher standards. Make sure all your students can pass this test.”
“Okay,” I said, “I want to teach.”

The CDC said,
“It’s not safe to go to school, but children still need to learn.”
“I’ll find a way,” I said, “I want to teach.”

Administration said,
“Children are dying at school. Practice lockdowns and hold active shooter drills.”
“This sickens me,” I said, “but I want to teach.”

America said,
“We need to arm the teachers, here is a gun. More guns in the classroom is the solution to our gun violence problem.”
“No thank you,” I said, “I no longer want to teach.”

*Adapted from an earlier post on May 29, 2022