The great thing, they say,
About other people's kids,
Is that you can hand them back.
But I can't. Because I teach.

Other people's kids sit wide eyed,
Captivated by the view,
Of History, English, Science and Maths.
I can do that. Because I teach.

I see humanity form and grow,
First forays to learning, lost,
Fumbling for life's light switch,
And I guide. Because I teach.

But there's a gentle wisdom,
Innate in the child's ways,
A signpost to what matters,
A reminder of WHY I teach.

Through their eyes they make me,
See as though I've never looked,
A view of what is vital,
Of what it is I need to teach.

They shape my ideology,
Their needs and wants. Their id.
They lay out their trials before me,
Hold my gaze and say "Now teach".

The great thing about other people's kids, as trite as it may seem,
They keep me young,inspire me,
To be better,
Because they teach.

Ben Hanson