"What Teachers Make," by TAYLOR MALI

Performed at the very first Page Meets Stage pairing at the Bowery Poetry Club on November 12, 2005

• Category

  Entertainment

[taylormali]

Hope you guys will take a look at the newest version of this that I just posted on my page!

[TheLLCoyote]

My grandmother taught for 27 years from a wheel chair before she retired and when she was lying in the hospital dying I literally lost count of her past students that came to see her and tell her the difference she made. We had to start turning people away there were so many of them. This video makes me think of her. She made people want to learn and want to succeed. Thank you. This is beautiful and what you do for kids every day is astounding.

[mat hut]

I never liked poetry until my literature teacher showed us some of your videos.

[Dylan Fyffe]

2:49

[Jessy Chi]

I love 2:41!

[dothebirdify]

I praise this poem and completely agree with it. However, there are more teachers out there who teach for the wrong reasons. Most teachers are teaching because it is a steady job. All I am saying is I wish there were more teachers out there like you, cause I sure had none.

[CourtneyKitties]

Arsonfly, what you are implying they DO it for, then? It's certainly NOT for the money.

Don't you think it's just possible that the bad teachers are bad because of years of being treated like shit, underpaid, denied needed support and funding to provide a good classroom experience?

[Arsonfly]

There are good teachers like you, and then there are your polar opposites. Teachers that don't give a damn because they get paid squat. Teachers that hate kids, teachers that think kids are burden, teachers that create generations of children that give as little of a fuck about life as they do about their jobs, and that's why we should worry as much about what you make on your check as we do about the difference you make with kids because not everybody does it for the glory.

[Diana Moore]

This is great!

[TheGamingPapparazi]

If we watch this in English class again... HEY MISS SHEEHAN IT'S ME SAM!

[salahhe .]

Hm.. my lawyer made money for me while my teacher - the only noteworthy one - taught me to work for them. So... I am a little bit conflicted on what to think about this.

[CosmoSocrates1986]

I love your video and your poetry. You're really devoted, and seem like an awesome teacher to have. I see you as a model teacher, and hope to teach and make an impact to children and teaching like you.