If You Were the Teacher I Looked Up To…
If you were the teacher still walking these halls,
I would sit at your feet
not just to learn how to hold chalk,
but how to carry its purpose the way you do.
I would tell you
the classroom has changed,
but the war remains
burnout, broken systems, underpayment, silent struggle.
I would show you my lesson plans
how they carry not just paper,
but the exhaustion, sacrifice, and endurance you taught me to bear.
I would tell you about the teachers
who keep showing up in silence,
whose stories never reach the world —
the ones you quietly inspire every day.
And if you were here,
I would ask softly:
“How did you keep going when no one believed in us?”
And I imagine you’d answer:
“Because these students mattered more than praise.”
I would walk you through our modern schools
smart boards, screens, data everywhere.
Then I would ask again:
“How do we keep the heart alive in all this technology?”
I would show you something else too
teachers rising.
Not only as instructors,
but as leaders, thinkers, builders of change —
just like you showed us we could be.
And I would promise you this:
I will not let the flame you lit fade.
I will protect the work.
I will protect the ones who do the work.
Not out of rebellion
but because you taught me responsibility.
If you were here today,
I would not only honor you…
I would walk with you.
Because your light was never meant to end.
It was passed on.
And now it is in my hands.
