Day: June 20, 2014

poem- stand up

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We can fight for education, but until the public really wants it, we will get nowhere. I am a former teacher myself. I was a damn good one, too; but the lackluster system drove me elsewhere into a new profession. When something is free, people perceive it as not too valuable. We are “paying” for education through taxes, of course, but no one really gets the connection these days since so many don’t even pay taxes. And they are not educated enough to understand how the system works. We still have a long way to go to motivate our citizens to give up their TV reality shows and read Dickens or Balzac instead!

Shawn L. Bird

“Why are teachers even bothering to picket,

when you aren’t getting strike pay any more?”

he asked.

I told him it was because teachers are moralists

who are defending democracy

and fair working & bargaining conditions

against a corrupt government:

A government that ignores the court rulings

spends billions of tax payers’ dollars appealing

judgments by the Supreme Court

and the United Nations saying they

are WRONG to steal from our kids.

It will pay billions for a stadium roof,

but will not pay for educating its children.

I told him that in such a war,

pay is a small thing.

We will fight, because if our government

succeeds in destroying OUR union

then every other working person in this province

is in peril.

If OUR contracts can be shredded with impunity,

so can YOURS!

We are fighting for YOUR rights

and for our students’ right to a funded education

against a government with an…

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Fathers

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Fathers share a special place in our hearts. They are our biggest cheerleaders, our toughest critics and our shoulder to cry on when something goes wrong.

They teach us how to drive stick shift, how to pass Algebra and how to change a seed into a blooming flower. They are our heroes. They fight for us. They fight for our country. They take us to swim practice and ballet class. They juggle work, family and making ends meet. They read us a story at bedtime and drop us off at school in the morning. They even let us drive the car sometimes with our friends.

They cry at our weddings. They teach our children about the joys of fishing and life. They become wonderful grandfathers. We remember them forever, even long after they are gone. Their warm hugs remain in our memories and their spirit remains in our hearts, as does their love.

So today, I salute all the fathers who have made their kids better and made the world a better place, too. Thank you, dads.