"Problem" Children

Sitting and writing,

Listening and learning,

Testing for children who remember

The rules.

You can’t teach a fish to climb a tree,

Or teach a student who can’t focus.

But we try and try

And “try one more time!”

Until everyone’s separated

Into smart and stupid.

We don’t teach everyone

In a way they can learn.

Who only teach those

Who have the gift of understanding.

The rest are left

With D’s and F’s

And teachers wondering why

They’re failing.

That could be changed

If we could try

To find help for those

poor children.

But we can’t change the budget

Or budget our time

And give learning-disabled children

More time

Or attention.

We send them away

To be suspended for a day

And they don’t learn any more

Than if they’d been in class.

But if you give them some care

And time to be understood

And show them they aren’t stupid

It’s been found they have

The same determination and brains

As all those other children.

If we could help them along

And not leave them to be

Picked on

They wouldn’t be such “problems”

For teachers.

They’d sit and behave

Because they believed in themselves,

Like every child should.