Horses of Instruction

1. Mr Hubert

You must never shout. With cuttingly
Sub-sectioned notes I subdue them always.
I'm known for my class-control. They'll mention it
At my leaving presentation.

My lessons swoop like architecture;
Disparate wills
Become irrelevant. I'm almost
A pope to these busty gigglers.

They enthuse so; they'd all
Die to be like me; they'll ape my mask
In essays ponderous with polysyllables
(And I'm so benignly indulgent).

They marvel at my superb embodiment
Of all you need to get on. My flipcharts
Sing in their memories. Magnificent theatre
Offers to hold them for ever.

2. Mr Gillespie

I tell them to check through their work for errors
As though it were easy

I'm told I can't fail if I hold their interest
As though it were easy

The girl in the third row wears a badge saying "Love"
As though it were easy

Disturbed and random, my classes
Grow to resemble my troubled centre.

3. Jacko

I gave a rose as emblem of my love.
I called it my visual aid and she
Said that was clever.
She laughed at the joke; she hardly looked at the rose.
O teachers, teachers...

George Simmers

If you have any thoughts on this poem, which he wrote many years ago, George Simmers would be pleased to hear them.