still seeking the poetry in a day ordered by the school bell
students filing about like soldiers
armed with apathy in place of guns
just as deadly
to the soul
seen them itching the wound where imagination once thrived
mourning the lost limb of creativity
numbing to the fate of desks and grades
calculators and connotation and correction in red ink
like a blood sentence of achievement
i too have barked like a drill sgt
clapped my hands like thunder
shook my head in disapproval
asking what happened to my former self
what are we breeding in these systems?
is there another way?
can we have order without orders?
can we break the 4th wall without 4 walls to break?
can we leave the answer unattended
and let the question take the lead?
no, it is not all despair
there is brilliance and delight
giggling in the halls, kissing in the shadows
the gentle slam of a body into a locker
the hand raised high with insight
the pride of something learned
and yet i wonder
because "why" is a gift
i never take for granted
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4 comments:
you write so clearly with feeling and imaging. Yes educational systems get petrified and petrify the student and the teacher. In a dream two days ago I imagined your creating your own art school where creativity thrives and the imagi-nation is the country explored rather than imprisoned. Now wouldn't that be fun.
You breathing life into the WHY makes it all that much richer for me...and everyone who experiences you. It's never ending. It's the journey of life...and in a weird way, it's gong back to school knowing all the things you wished you knew when you were actually in school. Weird. I love and admire you.
Idea: Let's throw away the corruption that permeates the 20th century educational philosophies and create an education for the NOW for the FUTURE for PASSION and for CHANGE. Where should we open our school???
This is something I've long believed. The general school model flies in the face of EVERYTHING we know about learning, about the development of the brain and mind, about motivation etc. Schools systems are not about learning, they are about convenience for the adults of the world. Are there better ways? Yes. They're already out there. I once thought briefly about becoming a teacher, when my two were wee ones and I was thinking about their education and how I wanted to raise them. I quickly figured out that there was no way I could survive in that system. It breeds contempt on every side.
However, even within that system there are ways to inspire, there are ways to do good. I have faith that you're one of the good ones, and your heart is in the right place. Let it lead you. :)
Much love.
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