On being a teacher - A poem

A little boy came to me with a shy smile,

Will you teach me grammar to be

Fluent in English like you?

Said he, I know the others don’t care,

To learn, for all they want is to play!

Said I with a smile, sure, if you wish,

Will I teach you the maths of English,

That you may be better than me! But,

Inside was I sad, that few students have

The hunger to learn! All they want is to play!

The same little boy came to me again,

Said he, write me a speech on Pollution,

Sure said I and wrote him a speech.

Wow, said he, you write so well, teach

Me to write so good that I might be like you!

Said I to him with a smile, I will do that,

If you wish but practice makes you perfect!

Said he to me sure, Sir, that will I do,

For I want to be like you! Sure, said I,

That will I do, for I want you to be perfect, my child!

But deep in my heart I felt  sad,

For while some students want to learn,

Others stop them, for all they want is to

Play, and play. For rightly said they,

All play and no work makes Jack a dull boy!

The little boy’s smile haunts me so,

Why can’t all my students be so,

To be eager to learn that they

Might be better than me, that

I might sigh with relief, I have done mine duty!