Who's still here? I am.

In this guest post, teacher Diane Clerke shares a moving poem about the one constant force in children’s lives: their teachers.

People come and go.

 

Principals come and go.

Who’s still here?

I am.

 

School Boards come and go.

Who’s still here?

I am.

 

Parents come and go

in and out these children’s lives.

Who’s still here, everyday?

I am.

 

Congressman come and go

Policies come and go

Programs change at the snap of your fingers.

Who’s still here?

I am.

 

Testing

Formats

Rankings

All change.

But I am still here.

 

I am the one

who makes all the difference for my students.

I am the one

standing there, holding a child when he cries

because a dog died that morning.

Or Mom has breast cancer.

I’m the one who’s here.

 

I am the one

who believes in each and every child

I am the one

who says, “Yes you can”

And they believe, and they do.

 

#TeachingIs me.

Diane Clerke is a 39-year veteran of the profession. She is an eighth-grade English language arts teacher at Highland Junior High, in Gilbert, Arizona.