Reflections of My Perceptions
I TEACH
‘I Teach', by Marc A K Reid, AKA So Many Stylz, author of ‘Dissonant Harmonics of a War Torn Mind', ISBN 1-4241-5949-0
Publish America: www.publishamerica.com
Books a Million: www.booksamillion.com
Amazon: www.amazon.com
Barnes and Nobles: www.barnesandnobles.com
Look how they got us
I walk into class and they look at me like ‘poor thing'
The first thing they ask is why I'm not wearing Jordans
And I think to myself, well, ‘poor things'
Because when I ask them about their books it seems that their looks are more important
And thanks to hip hop rhymes and hooks, their young minds are less absorbent
And the longer class goes on, the more their attention spans shorten
So I try to give them life lessons, but for most, my words only bore them
“Silence!”; “quite!”; “quiet!”, but they keep on talking
Sit tu, sientate, sit down, but they keep on walking
And if you're lucky they ignore you
If not, the classroom takes on the atmosphere of a courtroom
Because in their minds a substitute teacher is a loser so I must justify my misfortune
And it wouldn't bother me if I could tell you that in their futures I can see law school
But all too often, from where I sit, the future looks awful
You see, not even a college degree guarantees you a seat in a corporate boardroom
Tuitions raised, enrollments cut, and in prison they're always making more room
And thanks to the patriot act, if you're born overseas, it's easier for them to deport you
How do tell a kid that mom and dad can't always be there to support you?
After you get your cap and gown there is no open door for us to walk through
Remember it's about who you know, so you need to know who to talk to
So, on a daily basis I deal with the duality
I must somehow explain the ugly reality
That even if you get an advanced degree
You still may not get paid handsomely
But I don't want to kill their dreams
Of legally achieving six figure salaries
By no means,
I want them to dream interplanetary
So I explain that education
Only increases the probability
But success is not a predestined eventuality
Thus I allow them to hold on to their dreams
While eliminating the fantasy
I remind them that if they want to achieve,
Perseverance is an essential strategy
And for those among them who choose to listen,
My words are an abnormality
For I do not accept their failure
As an inevitable formality
And I refuse to reinforce the fallacies
Which perpetuate our assorted maladies
Instead, I confront them with causalities
Because we've had enough casualties
But still, I look at the class
I must face reality
As I see the cracked remnants of broken families
Silent screams, unspoken tragedies
Priorities misguided due to economic disparities
So although Play Station Portables are barely affordable
Somehow their parents afford it all
My Space, You Tube, MTV, BET, they absorb it all
So voices of reason are barely audible
Can't come to school with pen, pencil nor paper
But IPODS and cell phones are required paraphernalia
And you best believe they know about each other's genitalia
Not high school, nor middle, no, fourth and fifth graders
And somewhere on the way misconduct has become acceptable behaviour
But that's because we don't appreciate the price of their failure
So I teach
Because Tamika needs to know that she doesn't have to be that video ho
And she can climb that corporate ladder instead of sliding down that stripper pole
And I teach because
If Johnny can learn his subjects, then he can dream of success
And not grow up to become that black or Hispanic male suspect
And I teach because
Kiwana can go to college and break the family cycle
And not become a mother, like her mother, before she graduates highschool
And the better Michael is able to read and right
The lesser the chance of police having to read him his rights
And I teach
Because if a child can learn every word of an R-n-B or rap CD
Then, god damn it, he or she can learn their times tables and increase their vocabulary
And once their minds are free, they can defy gravity
And by living out my dreams they can live happily
And so I teach…
I teach….
I teach
Publish America: www.publishamerica.com
Books a Million: www.booksamillion.com
Amazon: www.amazon.com
Barnes and Nobles: www.barnesandnobles.com
Look how they got us
I walk into class and they look at me like ‘poor thing'
The first thing they ask is why I'm not wearing Jordans
And I think to myself, well, ‘poor things'
Because when I ask them about their books it seems that their looks are more important
And thanks to hip hop rhymes and hooks, their young minds are less absorbent
And the longer class goes on, the more their attention spans shorten
So I try to give them life lessons, but for most, my words only bore them
“Silence!”; “quite!”; “quiet!”, but they keep on talking
Sit tu, sientate, sit down, but they keep on walking
And if you're lucky they ignore you
If not, the classroom takes on the atmosphere of a courtroom
Because in their minds a substitute teacher is a loser so I must justify my misfortune
And it wouldn't bother me if I could tell you that in their futures I can see law school
But all too often, from where I sit, the future looks awful
You see, not even a college degree guarantees you a seat in a corporate boardroom
Tuitions raised, enrollments cut, and in prison they're always making more room
And thanks to the patriot act, if you're born overseas, it's easier for them to deport you
How do tell a kid that mom and dad can't always be there to support you?
After you get your cap and gown there is no open door for us to walk through
Remember it's about who you know, so you need to know who to talk to
So, on a daily basis I deal with the duality
I must somehow explain the ugly reality
That even if you get an advanced degree
You still may not get paid handsomely
But I don't want to kill their dreams
Of legally achieving six figure salaries
By no means,
I want them to dream interplanetary
So I explain that education
Only increases the probability
But success is not a predestined eventuality
Thus I allow them to hold on to their dreams
While eliminating the fantasy
I remind them that if they want to achieve,
Perseverance is an essential strategy
And for those among them who choose to listen,
My words are an abnormality
For I do not accept their failure
As an inevitable formality
And I refuse to reinforce the fallacies
Which perpetuate our assorted maladies
Instead, I confront them with causalities
Because we've had enough casualties
But still, I look at the class
I must face reality
As I see the cracked remnants of broken families
Silent screams, unspoken tragedies
Priorities misguided due to economic disparities
So although Play Station Portables are barely affordable
Somehow their parents afford it all
My Space, You Tube, MTV, BET, they absorb it all
So voices of reason are barely audible
Can't come to school with pen, pencil nor paper
But IPODS and cell phones are required paraphernalia
And you best believe they know about each other's genitalia
Not high school, nor middle, no, fourth and fifth graders
And somewhere on the way misconduct has become acceptable behaviour
But that's because we don't appreciate the price of their failure
So I teach
Because Tamika needs to know that she doesn't have to be that video ho
And she can climb that corporate ladder instead of sliding down that stripper pole
And I teach because
If Johnny can learn his subjects, then he can dream of success
And not grow up to become that black or Hispanic male suspect
And I teach because
Kiwana can go to college and break the family cycle
And not become a mother, like her mother, before she graduates highschool
And the better Michael is able to read and right
The lesser the chance of police having to read him his rights
And I teach
Because if a child can learn every word of an R-n-B or rap CD
Then, god damn it, he or she can learn their times tables and increase their vocabulary
And once their minds are free, they can defy gravity
And by living out my dreams they can live happily
And so I teach…
I teach….
I teach
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I TEACH
I TEACH
