updated poem...it's better

What I Think
(a teacher’s perspective)

I teach and
I think

You know what I think?
I think

America Sucks.
Whose fault is it anyway?
We are a society who likes to blame someone
anyone

It doesn’t matter to me
What god you do or don’t believe in
Whether or not he, she, or it did or didn’t create this messed up world
Whether or not you do or don’t go to church

America is still fucked up

You might think it is because
My alarm didn’t work today
My coffee maker needs a new carafe
The kitty’s litter is filled with more feces
(you thought I was going to say ‘ shit’, eh. Nope, gratuitous swearing is overrated)
-more feces than the actually stench erasing pebbles
My kids’ growth is stunted by an intense hatred of all foods healthy
Or even the fact that
I’m in a difficult relationship…
No.
At this point in my professionally inspire rant I must say that I firmly believe all that is wrong with the country can be broken down
into one concept,
one social group
an aspect of our society which holds so much power over the next generation
Parents
Did you know that I am a parent too?
I am certainly not talking about them all
You know the ones I am talking about:
Parents
who live vicariously through their children
who know their child will be in the NFL before college
who live to become their child’s best friend because they didn’t learn the social friend making skills and think it is important to have a BFF spawn
who pay “Time Warner Cable” for the daily after school childcare
who don’t understand the concept of adolescent obesity…
who buy their child’s love just so their eX doesn’t win the love meter battle
who see their offspring only on the weekends but are bothered by the fact that it might interfere with happy hour…
who think high school was hard for them so it will be hard for their kid
who can’t read 5 books so don’t expect their kid to either
who hated you when you taught them years ago
who bring in the homework their kids forgot on the kitchen counter because they know it is not their child’s responsibility
Of course
What about parents
who do the work for them
who still pick out the clothes and comb the hair of their teenager
who think it is totally appropriate for their child to tell you how much he hates you in such a way that you know rudeness and cruelty are a way of life
who smack, neglect, or abuse their child in public
Physically, spiritually, sexually, intellectually, emotionally, even unintentionally

Last of all
Parents who don’t identify at least a little bit with one of these examples

So I am printing a pretty negative picture?
How many of you have I pissed off?

How many people will be listening saying either
this isn’t me or
that will never be me

As a teacher I am not sure if I can stop blaming the idea of ‘parents’
some ARE at fault
Instead of lamenting over the fact that this country sucks, I could write a poem,
then
make a clean break.

I have passed the responsibility to you
as a parent of one of my students.
So, what do we do if America sucks?
It is our generation.
We are responsible for it.
We can save it
So

Don’t fuck it up