My Strength

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