The Teacher's Reward

After the last lecture before exam week
she came down into the pit,
waiting her turn behind those who
wanted to hear what they had to know
for the final.

I was always tempted to say,
“Nothing, it’s up to you, it’s your education.”
But that would have taken longer,
and wouldn’t have made any sense
at the time, anyway.

And I didn't know her from Eve
because I had 673 students,
I’ll call them,
in three lecture sections.
She was not someone I had met.

She was not the one who had told me,
'Your exam wasn't fair, it made us think.'

[...] Read more

poem by David Wright
Added by Poetry Lover
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