Float Like A Butterfly, Sting Like A Manifesto

I AM a teacher who stands up for a student's right to a thorough and meaningful education and against a world that tells these same students that ignorance and thoughtlessness are the order of the day. I am a teacher who is in favor of schools against bullying. I am a teacher who is a supporter of those against gun violence so that students can live to apply the education they have had outside of a school building. I am a teacher who is a defender of all against exclusion, against the censorship of knowledge, and above all against the idea that anything is impossible. I am a teacher who favors the permanent struggle against boredom and against bigotry. I am a teacher who rejects the status quo because it is RESPONSIBLE for complacency. I am a teacher full of hope in spite of people who say, "You'll never be rich," and "Why would you want to teach in a public school?" It's that kind of attitude that makes me shudder. If I didn't do what I wanted to, if I didn't do what I'm passionate about just because it's hard, then I'd never get off the couch. I am a teacher who refuses to give up the pursuit of a dream. I am a teacher proud of the legacy of teachers in my family. If I do not struggle for the betterment of my students, then I would no longer be a teacher. If I were not a teacher, then what would I be?