Way back in high school when I was foolish and rebellious, hearing this poem for the first time made me appreciate and respect teachers a whole lot more. Come to think about it, I would not have made it to college, graduated, and be here typing this if it were not for my teachers who helped me to read, write, and spell. "Definitely beautiful, definitely beautiful."
I've been writing stories, and I mean really writing ( well as much as you can at that age) since i was in seventh grade, and I misspelled definitely until I was a sophomore in high school. And that was just because I went through a phase where I refused to use spellcheck, and instead I changed the word, deleted it, and then wrote it the right way so I could learn how. No teacher ever set me straight.
He was referring to a student speaking in defense of another. Taylor was explaining this situation to a parent, telling them that their child is very brave. The one "still [crying]" is the child, not the parent.
I have mixed feelings about this. This is a good poem and a good delivery with lots of good points and lot's of power trip bullsh** that many teachers engage in thrown in. Conratulations you can make an A- feel like a slap in the face. Oooh you can make someone sit without talking for 45 minutes and use your power to keep them there if they're bored. You can make parents quake in fear, ...that's something good? "I make them apologize and mean it" ...uh-huh.
One other thing is... why did he choose "definitely" and "beautiful" when he talks about making kids practice spelling? Are they some of the most frequently misspelled words, or is "definitely beautiful" some sort of an important phrase kids are supposed to know that I just don't know about...? Sorry if this was a foolish question, but I'm just not unclear about why he chose those words.
Could anybody explain what he meant by this line?? Starting around 2:19 -- He said, "Leave the kid alone. I still cry sometimes. Dont you?" and it was the noblest act of courage that I have ever seen. -- I just don't get why that parent "still cries sometimes." Could anybody explain?
Those are two tricky words, and they hold great meaning if you want to interpret them that way. Most of us grow up with low self image, so maybe having those words embedded in your mind could make a difference in regards to your frame of thought.
I first heard this on Best of the Left podcast. It's even better seeing it.Very moving, and sadly true. This country abuses it's teachers, while the other country's whose kids are kicking our kid's butts revere theirs.
he means that he saw a student say that...as in the student was standing up for a fellow student and he was telling the parets what their child, that student, did. so the parent is not crying...hope that helps =)
Ohh... so I guess the "leave the kid alone... don't you" part was said by the student and not the parent, and Taylor was telling the parent of the great thing the kid did. I get it now. Thank you.
