You sit here at your desk,

Marking up C- papers and

Yelling for silence.

As kids throw pencils,

Some doze off,

While others don’t even bother showing up.

You buy all materials

With your own measly wages.

You sit here at your desk

And watch as kids continue

To break your pencils

And your spirit.

You graduated top of your class

But cannot truly be

Top of this class,

Because of the funny kid in the back of the class

Cracking jokes to steal

Attention from the notes

You spent so long typing up.

You spent years studying your subject

Only to be the subject of muttered remarks

About how boring your class is

And how they’re only failing because you don’t like them.

Demeaned by the students

Left helpless by the administration

You try so hard

To be the perfect mentor

For the few that take the class seriously.

You are far too good for the unfocused,

Unmotivated students.

You deserve so much more,

Or in the very least,

A couple kids to pay attention

To your wisdom.