My Strength
I am not a test proctor
I am a teacher
I am not Google
I am a mentor
I am not a bystander
I am a coach
I am not the government's puppet
Because, truth is, I simply care too much
I care too much about the people
Who make my life worth living
Every single day I come into work
I care too much about their minds
To let them go to waste
With standardized data
I care too much about their hearts
To let them go a single day
Without feeling welcome in my classroom
I care too much about their futures
To let them believe that numbers decide if they're worthy
Of their own potential
I am not here to tell them that they can't
I am not here to tell them that I won't
I am here because of them
I am still here because of them
I have survived because of them
I have succeeded because of them
I am the better person I am today
because of them
I check in each day with new hope
because of them
I believe in what I do and who I am
because of them
Because of them
I stand before you today
In pride
In joy
In hope
I stand and I say
Thank you
All of you
Thank you so much
