Lost

So dumb,

he doesn't know it;

So angry,

he can't help show it.

He sees the line

but just can't toe it;

Tic tock;

he's about to blow it.

I wrote this poem a few years ago. Anyone who has taught for as many years as I have begins to develop a sense and can see when a kid just isn't going to make it. No matter how many people invest themselves into him, you can just tell the kid is not wired right and is a time bomb waiting to explode.

The worst thing about a kid like this is not the kid himslef but rather the man power he takes up. From day one in school all the way up to their eventual incarceration, this is the kid who drains the system. However, like marines, as a society we try not to leave anyone behind.

However, in the case of education, in trying not to leave anyone behind, we end up stunting the progress of many others whose only crime is they did not require much attention. Sometimes we need to cut our losses and move forward. Public schools need to be more diligent in telling parents what they do not want to hear rather than telling them what will keep them off of their backs.

No one has the right to interfere with the education of a child. That includes the student who, for a variety of reasons, is not wired right. One look in their eyes and you can see a predator who preys on the weak, the easily manipulated, or a system badly in need of fixing. These are the kids who do the bullying. These are the kids who act out violently. These are the kids who thumb their noses at authority from an early age and have no business in a public school.

Our government has other programs in place better suited for these children. Sure, like any other government program, they are poorly run, mismanaged, and in need of fixing. So what. That is not an excuse to keep a time bomb in a setting where when it decides to go off it ends up hurting the innocent