THE BANDWAGON
It started,as it usually does,
in a fairly innocuous fashion,
with some justifable criticism,
tinged with undeniable cynicism.
Freedom was the catchword
and choice became the stick
to beat the colleges and schools,
to brand all teachers fools
Then,it began to roll,
out-of-mind,into flexible modules,
emphasising the client,alone,
developing education by clone.
It accelerated towards
student-centred learning
and encouraged management flunkies
into announcing redundancies.
Soon,it was rushing helter-skelter
down the road to ruin,
paying the management leeches
to sack all their teachers.
Finally,it reached their goal,
education out of control
of people who asked questions
or provided any lessons
Education ceased that day,
when teachers lost their say
and only the rich could pay
to learn how to have their way.
Teacher
I was only a teacher,
a preacher of thought
who asked questions
and wouldn't be bought.
I was a small light in the dark,
subverting our youth,
undermining orthodoxy,
trying to find truth.
I rejected the rules
that make education boring,
ignored the lesson plans
that end with students snoring.
I tried to make people think,
argue and realise,
that the official view of life,
is a book full of lies.
I didn't really matter.
I was only an old preacher
who touched no-one but the students,
who enjoyed me as their teacher.