Spoken Word Video and reflection

Every teacher needs to check out this link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxsOVK4syxU
I've read this poem in an email that gets forwarded around our district about once a year but hearing it, seeing it preformed was SO much more effective and I had this urge to forwarded this video link to everyone I've ever met that has commented on teachers having to work only 9 months, having plenty of vacations, being overpaid, undereducated, and about a thousand other ignorant ways to describe how easy teachers have got it made.

what's no so good?
how is it a 'poem' as well as a performance?


This video, "What Teachers Make" works because it takes just a poem, that, as I said, I've read several times before, and puts passion behind the words. It was like he was in my face reminding me of what I do everyday that I don't realize. It was intense. There is an energy there that I didn't feel when I just read it. Additionally as this poem was preformed it was very much reminiscent of bits of conversations I've had over the years regarding teaching, about that kid that worked hard and finally got a C (amazing), or about making kids work harder than even they realized they could. It is about those parent phone calls, math problems proofreading, all of the stuff of teaching wrapped up in a concise package. He nailed it! I liked also the use of repetition to emulate the practice that goes into spelling, over and over and over to get it right, it was like it was happening, right there in the poem. The shifts in volume and in emphasis given to certain phrases, rushing through some parts and slowing down for others, phenomenal.

This performance contains elements that I consider to be very poetic. As I mentioned, the phrases are concise and descriptive, effectively capturing the message that I believe the author is trying to convey. Additionally there is some repetition of phrases that are used to illustrate something (for example, practicing and practicing spelling). There is also a rhythm about the piece that drives the reading, something I definitely associate with poetry.

I found the piece fabulous. I may not connect with this as much if I were not a teacher so in that way the intended audience might be limited somewhat to teachers. Regardless, I appreciated the content and the presentation.