Agents of Change

Students aren’t drones,

Mindless bots programmed

To learn what’s thrown at us.

We are conscious,

People who exist outside

The classroom.

We have lives,

Jobs with long hours,

And friends to hang with.

But with the amount of

Work given in every class,

no one has time.

No time for friends,

No time for family,

No time to manage our lives.

It’s study or fail

In this competitive world

Of grades and knowledge,

And today we slowly

bleed ourselves dry,

Though we don’t know it.

Stress becomes a companion.

A silent killer,

Sneaking into young minds,

Attacking our brains,

But there’s no time to

Stop it, manage it.

We are told to be more,

That B’s don’t stand for “better,”

A’s are the only grade for you.

When a student confesses,

“I’m not okay,”

Worry accompanies every word, because

Confidential isn’t really, problems

Discussed amongst the staff,

And soon everyone knows.

Stares in the halls

And quiet whispers that cease

When you appear

Become commonplace

In the school which you

Once put your trust in.

Peers are hostile,

Teachers are more distant,

And friends act differently,

Simply because one

Dares to tell someone that they

Are not okay, they need help.

The system doesn’t teach us

To cope, only to

Keep silent, becoming

People who don’t

Need the help of another,

Completely self-sufficient.

Society’s definition of perfect

Is what we’re taught to be,

not what we ought be.

School needs to change,

To teach individuality,

And to encourage growth.

Teachers are starting

to see that the system isn’t

working anymore.

They are encouraging

diversity, different types of

learning and teaching.

Now I enjoy class,

and I”m not treated as

a mindless bot.

Today and for life,

I will pursue an education

Fitting for me,

And I will enjoy every second.