Poem for Teachers: Pushing My Buttons

Pushing My Buttons

I pushed the little button to summon the elevator
Since I was in a hurry, I needed it sooner, not later
I waited and waited and waited for the elevator to arrive
I pushed the button once, then twice—three times, four times, five
But it never did arrive, you see, and so I took the stairs
A better source of exercise for anyone who dares
And then I got to thinking of the students in my class
Pushing my buttons every day, pushing hard and fast
And there I go reacting and their “elevator” arrives
They’re riding up, they’re riding down, and I’m the one with hives!
I wonder if I stopped arriving, if they’d have to take the stairs
I could silence their conniving—the answer to my prayers!
And so I’ll start tomorrow; my buttons I will hide
And when they see I won’t react, another they’ll try to ride
So here’s advice to all of you—the teachers who react
Don’t let them know your buttons work. They’ll stop pushing—that’s a fact!


There is a great blog post about this poem here: http://eyeoneducation.com/Blog/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/2873/How-One-Simple-Poem-Changed-a-Teacher39s-Life#.UWVxOVfZV8E