If I could teach you, dear one –

To dream in bright colors,

To not be afraid of ideas

That no one’s ever had before,

To imagine the possibilities

Of “what if,”

And to believe in yourself

Long enough to explore them –

 

If I could teach you, my little scholar –

To be captivated by words,

To marvel at the shape of them,

To collect the ones that touch you,

To form stories and essays with them,

And to pursue excellence

By knowing them so well –

 

If I could teach you, my child –

To be caught up in the stories that matter,

To read because you can’t help it,

To ache for the feeling of freedom

That only a book can bring,

To weep and rejoice with characters

One can only see in the mind’s eye,

And to be enthralled by the smell of

Rustling brand new book pages –

 

If I could teach you, small one –

How to be a friend,

How to reach out to someone who’s lonely,

How to stand up for what truly matters,

How to love when no one’s watching,

How to care about those who are hurting,

And how to be brave no matter what life brings –

 

If I could teach you all these things,

The things that are intangible,

Unmeasurable,

Deeper,

And richer –

Despite the cold, hard numbers

That march across a report,

And despite all the judgment

From people who have never tried

To be a teacher,

I would know that I have met my goal.

And the world would be a finer place –

For having you in it.