do you remember me?
you charged me $2,000
for breaking my contract
after advocating for my safety
and being rejected
you and your board
discarded me
and decided what was just
was to fine me
for speaking up
do you know what you pay
public school employees
the unlivable wages
you present to them
the way you fail them
from the start
by asking them to sacrifice
their well being
their livelihood
you manipulate their innocent calling to teach
and exploit that calling
into corrupt expectations
“go the extra mile” you say
that’s what we do as educators
we groom teachers
to be without a self
and applaud them
when the light in their eyes
begin to dim
you wagged your finger at me
for running over my
30 minute
duty free
lunch break
and after hounding you with
emails and calendar invites
you graces me with
2 minutes of your time
you mumbled nonsense
that went something like
‘tax payers dollars’
‘parents upset’
and
‘not what we do’
shame drips out of you
hoping that i will catch it
you know what breaks my heart the most
that i didn’t want to
make waves
didn’t want to
disappoint you
and you probably don;t even remember me
you ask us to ‘think outside of the box’
to meet students needs
the hollowness of that demand is cruel
when you refuse to acknowledge
the pleas and cries
of your own soldies
how dare you
when you have some of the
wisest
most giving
souls
employed in your prison
it has taken me a while
to digest your injustices
that the way you
‘cared for me’
wasn’t a reflection
of my goodness
do you remember the group of 8th grade girls
who slammed their hands on the table collectively
chanting
“we wear what we want.”
i watched them
with my own
defiant pride
dear wfps educators
may the pureness
that brought you
into this profession
find a seat at that table
may your hands
not stop pounding
until your needs are met
and may your defiant chant
be an echo chamber of change
for you
each and every
one of you
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