Thursday, February 02, 2017

Poetry Friday -- Education is Not a Business


photo via unsplash
Education is Not a Business

The child lines up his teddy bears
to teach them ABCs.
He guides them gently in the task,
"The way Miss Smith taught me."

"We learn to share, hold hands in line,
protect and help and hug.
At story time in the media center
we find our place on the rug."

The profits from our nation's schools
aren't measured with nickels and dimes.
Our future's there within those walls --
let's polish them 'til they shine.


©Mary Lee Hahn, 2017



This is a poem for Laura Shovan's Annual February Writing Project. The words/phrases for this poem

worldview
help
shareholders
safer
protections
dishonest
media
replace
business
Messiah

originated here.


Penny has the Poetry Friday Roundup at Penny and Her Jots.


24 comments:

  1. Yes, preach it, sister!!! It is hard to hold on to hope...but our kids are so worth it.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I just commented on Facebook that this is a wonderful addition to Day 2 of Lauren's #10FoundWords project. Polishing the apples of our eyes is a noble endeavor. Hope for our children's future.

    ReplyDelete
  3. We are all searching for "our place on the rug", aren't we? Some are more forceful about getting the best spot than others. i always thought the child who came quietly and sat in a new spot each day without elbowing or angst was the biggest winner.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Love, love, love this poem--especially the last line. Let's do polish them until they shine.

    ReplyDelete
  5. It would be wonderful to send this to your representatives, Mary Lee. Thinking of our future is a most important part of our lives. Well done!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Anonymous10:28 AM

    Lovely! So easy to picture and so true.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Anonymous10:45 AM

    Love this so much. And I still hope for a miracle on the DeVos hearings, and this helps, either way.

    ReplyDelete
  8. WOW! Education is Not a Business...your poem is perfection!

    ReplyDelete
  9. You nailed it! Hoping for the best re. DeVos.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Man these word prompts are HARD! But, you really rolled them all in beautifully. Here's hoping ... that public education continues to be not a business...

    ReplyDelete
  11. I like Linda's idea, Mary Lee. Would you be willing to send this to representatives? I know some senators were looking for short writings about the women's march. Why not try?

    ReplyDelete
  12. We need to shout this at the too of our lungs and share it around the nation and around the world. Education is the most important investment we can ever make as a culture - our children are our future.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Amen to all these comments about sharing with reps! Great poem, Mary Lee. Love your last line especially!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Anonymous11:12 PM

    So much heart and truth in this, Mary Lee.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Nice to turn these list words into a light shining on our most important citizens, Mary Lee - thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Get it, Mary Lee!

    "The profits from our nation's schools
    aren't measured with nickels and dimes.
    Our future's there within those walls --"

    So true.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Amen!
    "we learn to share"
    send it to print, pronto!

    ReplyDelete
  18. Even my daughter called about DeVos and she's never called anybody about anything before. Keeping my fingers crossed.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Thanks for making space on your rug for us. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  20. Well said, Mary Lee. The value of so much of what happens in schools is immeasurable.

    ReplyDelete
  21. An important message well stated, Mary Lee.

    ReplyDelete
  22. It's a sad state when every social good has to be looked at as how well it's doing from a business perspective. Keep fighting the good fight.

    ReplyDelete
  23. True that, Mary Lee! Neither is running a country... Excellent poem. =)

    ReplyDelete

Comment moderation is turned on.