A few glare pathetically, thinking they are intimidating.
They give me that “Don’t talk to me” look.
For those that try to be pushy, I let them know
they aren’t the boss here. This is my classroom.
Trust me. I am a professional.
I know what I am doing.
If you want to be the teacher, go to college.
Get your teaching certificate and a Master’s degree,
and then we can talk about it.
I tell them I’ve been doing this before they were
a twinkle in their parents eyes.
And, I remember some of their parents
sitting in this classroom.
For those who think they have to strut their bravado,
they don’t know I taught a year in the state prisons
(maximum and minimum security).
I taught in classrooms without guards.
The inmates were enthralled by the death
in Macbeth.
Once, when I needed everyone’s attention,
a girl in the front row would not stop talking,
so I snapped my fingers twice, and she retorted,
“We are not one of your golden retrievers!”
Looking her straight in her eyes,
I said in a pleasant voice, “Yes, you are right,”
and a smile briefly flashed across her face.
“My dogs have better manners.”
Mark Thalman is the author of Stronger Than the Current, The Peasant Dance, and Catching the Limit. He has an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Oregon. Thalman retired from the public schools after teaching English and Creative Writing for 35 years. Please visit markthalman.com.
