Droppin Dimes

ABCs 123s and Do-re-mis
School should set our children free
Rather than shackle their creativity
As they become target practice
Resulting from our nation’s inactivity

What message do we send?
With our barrage of benchmarks?
That it matters not what you learn
But what society comprehends

Surely there is value in shared understanding
But can our children advance our people on societal grandstanding?
You cannot task a generation with boundless expectation
While chastising their setbacks with consternation

Be strong
Be virtuous
Let your example rise up
Let our children grow up

I’m writing this on June 1st, 2023 and yet every word of the poem above remains relevant. Kids in school still must conduct active shooter drills and walk through the doors every day scared that some madman with a rifle will decide today’s the day. Kids in school still struggle, alongside their teachers, to convince those in power that spending each day doing nothing but prepping for high stakes tests is not the best use of anyone’s limited time on this earth. Kids in school still amaze me with their creativity, persistence, and brilliance. I hope with time, only the latter stays true.