Every couple of years we had been taking, as a reward for good behavior, roughly half of the fifth and sixth graders on a weekend bus trip to Acadia National Park.  One year, after lengthy debate, several Board members voted against the trip for fear that it would hurt the feelings of those who weren’t selected.  (If the shape of this poem eludes you, listen to the thirteenth line.)

TURNING  OUR  SCHOOLS  UPSIDE   DOWN

We   surely   should    get              priorities            straight,
before   they   lose    out,              and   it   gets  too    late.
We’d    like    to    reward            the      better - behaved,
but  several Board mem-              bers  ranted  and  raved.
They   said   such   elitism             hurts  the            esteem
   of   those   less   success-             ful  in  the               regime.
   And  so   they   did    feel              it would  be       untoward
 if    we    were   to   give              out such  a         reward...
And too should we stop               the giving        of A’s,
Since those who get none may seem cast-      aways?
Why shouldn’t the teacher give A’s and praise
To those who act in the very best ways?
Why turn our schools so upside down
To just avoid a sigh or frown?
And why forsake the best,
If something should
Not feel so good
To the rest?
I really
don’t
get
it
!
  By
         Michael
             Berkowitz