"What Teachers Make," by Taylor Mali

[@boduholm8463]

Now: I make kids work haarder then they ever could. to get a C+ feel like a Congrestional medal of hornor and make a A- feel like a slap in the face... This is beautiful.

[@madisonstauffer2475]

I am currently about to start my practicum 1 as an elementary education student. The workload is a lot, and the assignments are becoming more difficult. Almost everyone I tell my plan to have some choice words about this profession that I always just have to brush off. I have always wanted to be a teacher for every reason that was shared in this speech. His words move me in a way that brings up raw emotion and motivation reminding me why I feel passionate about this. I plan to watch this every day. Thank you Mr. Mali!

[@katrinareads]

When I have a tough day or week at work as a teacher, I come here and listen to this. It's been quite a week with a lot of issues, but I know I make a difference.

[@metaphordice1240]

Despite what it might look like, this is Taylor Mali. I just wanted to know that I read your comment, and you made my day. So there! We're even.

[@PooleDesign]

I am not a teacher, but have been inspired by many, and disappointed by others (just like every other profession). The fact that teachers do not generate income equal to doctors, lawyers, etc. means nothing other than we owe them much more respect and thanks for taking on the task of educating our kids.

[@thomassmith3023]

I remember my freshman year of highschool when my teacher showed us this video. I went home and watch as many of your poems I could it inspired me to like the finer arts of English it added teaching to a list of jobs I may want. To me its not about its about doing what you love thank you for helping me see that.

[@nekokannes]

Very true. Honestly, the world is nothing without teachers, and people seem to KINDLY FORGET that. Doctors, physicists, writers, lawyers, all of them had to learn from someone. And it wasn't a book. It was us, teachers.

[@genuineinterest]

I can say with certainty that this is dafenitely beeuteful.

[@DakotaFord592]

I love this poem! I love The passion of the poet!!

[@MattTheriot]

that was one hell of a speech. I feel that I am a better person because of some amazing teachers I had in High school. The world needs more people like Taylor Mali

[@CosmoSocrates1986]

I love your video and your poetry. You're really devoted, and seem like an awesome teacher to have. I see you as a model teacher, and hope to teach and make an impact to children and teaching like you.

[@amandawatkins8805]

I saw this video a while back, but just rediscovered it - amazing delivery of a meaningful and eloquently written poem! It is all the more relevant now that I am studying to be a teacher of Science and Geography ! Thank you for your inspiring message.

[@JasonWalter]

The real teachers version was epic. Moved me to tears. Thank you.

[@ourlady9050]

Thank you Taylor! I have to return to this video every now and then just to get the "juices" flowing. So many of us work in anonymity, teaching the students that our "system" has written off. I have students from all corners of the country that come to our center(Jobcorps). Many are frustrated that they have to take a Reading class because they were under the impression that their "classroom days" were over. I have to inspire and gain trust, not an easy accomplishment, and convince them that Reading is important. We celebrate our accomplishments and I enjoy giving out those "Congressional Medals of Honor". :')

[@SnakeEmpressX]

I've just watched this so many times. I'm a senior in high school about to go to college as an English major, though the only way I was able to choose that major was to convince my parents I could go to law school after. THough, this quite possibly has inspired me to become a teacher after all.

[@shutupsilentjim]

Mr. Mali: you, your words, and all the badass teachers of the world are definitely beautiful. Thank you for sharing with us.

[@MsDeltaprime]

This is ALWAYS my favorite!!!

[@pinkpantheonqueerhistory5699]

Never remove this video from the internet. 14 years I have been coming back and feeling inspired every time.

[@selena528]

Oh man. I literally teared up. This is a video everyone needs to see. Thank you for putting everything into words.

[@Tinkerdevil7]

I am graduating soon with a degree in Elementary Education and this gives me hope that some people still understand the struggles. Every day when I see my students it makes my day better because I know that they look up to me and I know that I will somehow enhance their day as well. I am going into teaching because that's what I LOVE. I hope to make it so that tests are not the be all end all and that grades are nothing more than a letter. I WILL make a difference, no matter what anyone says.

[@onyxbluefeather]

This poem makes me cry every single time I watch it. I wish more people appreciated teachers, and more teachers were like Taylor. Thank you for bringing such beauty, love and compassion into our world!

[@EzraAbu]

Awesome!! I have taught in various ways.. And I, too have made people cry. Not for being mean, but for expecting MORE! Why does that always make them cry? Money is not everything. The payoff is the ahhhhaaa moments you see in a students face. PRICELESS! God bless! AND CONTINUE TO MAKE.

[@jordan2jelebu]

I'm literally clapping my hands at the end of his words.......and i forget that i'm in the office.This dude truly dope!

[@PINTandDALE]

Brilliant! Thank you!

[@TheNaturalLeader]

I'm pretty proud that my husband pushes kids and parent to their max - he has received some great notes from both kids and their parents each year. Kids have to experience risk, failure as well as success in his class. Yes I do believe he is someone who "makes" a difference.

[@Fairy0Space]

I don't think teachers get the respect they deserve. I'd rather hang around them than my peers at school. These are probably the most brilliant people I've ever known and have the most courage I've ever seen from any adult in my entire life. They step into fights for us, they give up their personal time for us, they support us more than some parents support their own children, they are ALWAYS there for us. Hell, they're the reason I'm becoming a teacher.

[@waterbitten]

thank god for teachers. especially ones as passionate as Taylor Mali. thank you!

[@TheLLCoyote]

My grandmother taught for 27 years from a wheel chair before she retired and when she was lying in the hospital dying I literally lost count of her past students that came to see her and tell her the difference she made. We had to start turning people away there were so many of them. This video makes me think of her. She made people want to learn and want to succeed. Thank you. This is beautiful and what you do for kids every day is astounding.

[@boesvig2258]

I just saw an interview that reminded me of this. A journalist asks a 10-12 yo kid: "What do you wanna be when you grow up?" The kid answers: "A doctor." "Great! So how much do you wanna make?" The kid thinks for a second, then responds: "I want to make people feel okay."

[@Fragacide]

It's always the jobs that matter the most that always gets paid the least. I delved into my teacher's personal lives in high school, as I wanted to know which one of my teachers deserved my respect, and the ones who could earn it also earned my undivided attention. Was this by choice? No... but by the mere passion in which they held their title, "Teacher" and in which the authoritativeness they lacked, and the friendships they could form... and yet, without acting tough, I listened, and I loved.

[@evanpohlk511]

I've watched this probably 20 times. I get goosebumps every time.

[@NinjaRedLink]

This gives me shivers and chills when I watch it over and over again and again, I love it, and whenever I get a chance, I share it with other friends and teachers of mine. I've been really blessed to have some amazing kick-ass teachers who have really driven me to what I am today. Teachers are some of the most important, and least appreciated jobs today, which is a crying shame because they mean so much. One great teacher can be the change of a butterfly's wings that make all the difference

[@nekokannes]

As an aspiring teacher, this struck home. I feel this really says all that we teachers strive for, and all that we care for. The kids. Thank you so much for getting this out there. You remind me of the kind of teacher I want to be. One that makes a difference.

[@ChazEvansdale]

I share this with my teacher friends every year and have ever since I first saw it maybe 5 years ago! :)

[@MesAyah]

Always loved this one

[@jeffburdick869]

I used to watch/listen to this at 5:00 am every day when I was student teaching and in my first year of teaching. It truly gave me the courage and energy to go there and do my best to teach kids as best I could. Thats something I'll never forget.

[@gostraighthrough]

One of the best monologues I have ever seen, and one of the best things ever said about teachers. Bravo!

[@CECE-sm1xy]

watched this for my theatre class and now doing a paper on you! i loved this one out of all the others i watched! "teachers make a gotdamn difference, what about you" hit hard!!!

[@thebeatles92195]

I am in school to be a teacher and every time I get into a slump and feel like maybe I should be doing something else, I refer back to this poem. And them I remember why I want to teach. I want to make a difference. Thank you Taylor Mali for reminding me what I am meant to do in this life!

[@MorroTreece]

Never get tired of watching this.

[@ProjectXA3]

Goddamn beautiful. Thank you zenpencils for showing me this.

[@taileba93]

Thank a lots, you've made a big change in my mind, i will love our career - teacher more than ever. Thank you so much!

[@LanceKhaos]

I had great teachers and when I was working at a Private Jewish School as a Comp Tech, I had to set this up for meeting the teachers were having after school and could not listen to it enough. Had to thank my teachers that I had on FB

[@bn3121]

I was such a little f*ckin' arrogant b*stard back in high school. Thank you Mr Mali for this lesson. Thank you to all my teachers who taught me reason, wisdom, humility, tenacity, vision, calculation, aspiration. I hope to one day live up to the example my teachers provided.

[@Joseph-uu4zu]

Great. Every teacher I know appreciates this.

[@propertyofranger]

Marvellous. Absolutely brilliant!

[@midgetmagicftw]

I still get goosebumps every time I watch this. Amazing.

[@bronxboy1952]

God bless you for your videos. I have been a classroom teacher since 1973. I've had the option (several times) to leave the classroom and take some type of administrative position. This I cannot do; my niche is that of a teacher. I wear one of those rubber bracelets on my wrist; it says "I Make A Difference". When I die, I hope that one of my students will get up and say, "Yes, you made a difference". Its the most noble of professions which I would truly makes a difference. Again, my thanks.

[@SudburySam]

Fabulous slam poet clarifies the value of teachers!

[@wileyjb1951]

Will check it out Taylor. That was brilliant. Hopefully, we have more and more teachers like you!

[@jennifermcp]

This was superb. Thank you thank you thank you!

[@Gaaraloverr1]

Me, at my dog who keeps whining at the backdoor: "Why won't I let you go to the bathroom? Because you're bored and you don't really have to go to the bathroom, do you?"

[@taylormali]

This made my day. Sometimes my son asks for a glass of water when his water bottle is right next to him, and I say, "You already possess everything you require to succeed!" (which is a line from "Miracle Workers").

[@JoeIriarte]

That was awesome. Thank you so much.

[@Oonalalun]

Awesome spoken word - "Spoken Truth", in fact :) Thank you for your dedication, clarity and passion. With Gratitude from me to you for simply sharing, Oons x

[@storyshayleen]

So good. So good. So gosh darn good.

Thank you! You're words makes all the difference

[@deecarmen84]

BRAVO!!! absolutely beautiful

[@snooze2010]

what a beautiful poem. and the last two lines are so moving!

[@waterbitten]

ok so i think i' ve watched this video for the 20th time in two days. i know the words and the emotions behind, i'm crazy about Mr Taylor Mali. yes i am!!!

[@Rsciv]

Taylor I love you, way to speak for all the teachers out there!!!!!

[@1BSARoadRocket]

I would love a response from Mr. Mali himself on this. 5 years ago I would have loved this video and this was the kind of thing that inspired me to become a teacher. I wanted to make a decent living but I also wanted to do something constructive so I choose teaching. Now I have my teaching credential (special ed) a pile of debt, no teaching job in sight (I'm not the only one) and a 19K a year job as a substitute teacher with no benefits so in today,s context your video is a complete snow job.

[@IDFK163]

This is my teaching battle cry, Taylor. Thank you!

[@Flomskwain]

this still makes me well up - thank you, it's brilliant

[@KierraLovesHipsters]

I almost forgot about this absolute gem

[@TheHereticPilgrim]

It is things like this that make me know that following my dream to be a High School English teacher is worth it. Nothing will stop me once I am in college in pursuit of this dream.

[@KGRAY117]

I would submit that many more teachers make a difference in a positive fashion, than those who do not. Like many other elements of the profession, the credit is rarely given. I think the lawyer in Mr. Mali's poem is the rule and not the exception. Teachers are not respected outside the field of education because they are not given much respect within the field of education. Teacher's are attacked by individuals who have no idea how or no desire to, do the job. However, make no mistake about it, it is an ESSENTIAL undertaking. I also think that the "what do you make" statement is speaking about more than just financial concerns. I was a teacher in one of the most distressed areas in the United States (East St. Louis, Illinois), and many people have asked me the same question. People speak about salary, but the most important element that they were concerned about my 'making', was a difference. Candidly speaking, I know I made a positive difference. Callooh, Callay, Mr. Mali!

[@skaterchik4lyfe]

i love this poem. Taylor Mali is amazing

[@Jesters-Jinx]

You made me cry. Thank you.

[@harrypotterfantng]

BURN! Seriously, though. I love this poem. I wish I could have had him for a teacher. I love all his poems.

[@randomvielleuse527]

Fantastic. Wow.

[@podcastbard]

Teachers made a difference in my life. Thank you for this for them. :)

[@mujzero15]

Still show your poetry in my college classrooms!

[@silentplane]

that was awesome.... I have a teacher that really reminds me of this guy.

[@MsJunkin]

The best ode to all who say that awful thing about those who can't - Way to go, Man!

[@sigridmac09]

we need more teachers like you!!!

[@JohnFleshman]

That was definitely beautiful!

[@ace10199]

I'm so glad that growing up I had awesome teachers that took their jobs seriously

[@legitpanda39651]

this is fantastic.

[@chuantilly]

Sharing this with absolutely all my fellow teachers who ever felt like the world makes our work meaningless.

[@Vazzivazzi]

This is a great poem!

[@HappyLizzy13]

Just heard this today and im obsessed!!

[@Yayletesha]

Hi Mr. Mali, this poem is awesome! You've indeed made a difference with this poem!

[@21FunkyMonkeys]

This is absolutely amazing!

[@MooreTruthYouCanUse]

This is great!

[@amandamanley2185]

As a math teacher at a special needs school I make a difference along with ALL of my colleagues who make a difference along with me!!!!! It doesn't matter if your a math teacher, elementary teacher, middle/high school teacher, special education teacher, p.e. teacher, college professor.... YOU MAKE A DIFFERENCE!!!! Where would all the lawyers, doctors, therapists, surgeons, veterinarians, and ALL OTHER PROFESSIONS be without teachers........ I ask??? NO WHERE !!!

[@daobesebeast]

You could say that about anything. Where would every person be without the Dr. who delivered them. Where would people be without the farmers growing food, etc. Most Teachers are there to get paid and make it to June, July and August. P.S. I am a teacher.

[@Pakkens_Backyard]

Music lesson teachers too

[@niceguy9418]

OMG. This is awesome.

[@HavocValour]

This inspired me. I hadn't expected to be so moved by a youtube video. I want to make as much as you someday... Thank you

[@TheSamiwray]

Still my favorite version, Mr. Mali. With Honor and Respect, New Teacher #0942

[@TheSpunkyDunker]

This is seriously the most inspirational poem I've EVER heard. Right now I'm a senior in high school and I was having second thoughts about becoming a teacher. After seeing this, I'm going for it. Thank you Mr. Mali for inspiring me.

[@londra518]

So are you a teacher now?

[@EREWHON3]

He is real and makes a difference. Would that there were thousands more Mr. Malis!

[@johntasmah4055]

so many subtitles and haha still so great. prolly his best stuff right here

[@marinerar2518]

This is my favorite video of Mr Mali reciting this poem. In the other ones it sounds like shouting too much. I know it almost by heart now and I can hear him in my head if I say the verses to myself! ❤️

[@SilverInkStaind]

My teacher does this poem every year. I love it!

[@annieclementsmusic]

Wow, wonderful!

[@degulestokke]

Zen Pencils.

[@roulakhoury3357]

It is all the more relevant now that I am studying to be a teacher. I like it.

[@ASHLEYOFFICIAL]

one of my favorites. This one, the the impotance of proofreading and like you know.

[@chewie211171]

Great stuff !! Teachers definately do make more than lawyers anyday

[@brianbdaa]

Its an interesting video! and this man is rigth, the most of the things that I understood, were about the roll of teachers which is to create real persons who can BE it, and able to wonder themselves, able to criticize and to be reflexive, which will make posssible that people in a society think in everyone, in each other, without waiting a payment after doing something for the others.!!

[@corylcain]

As a teacher, who, if seen in action, might be compared to the gentlemen above, I can see why you may believe it is a power trip. My eyes, however, have seen a generation of children whose parents do not believe that their kids can be doctors, teachers, lawyers, accountants, restaurant managers, or even graduates. This teacher is simply writing from his perspective. We all need to consider that we all may view teaching and learning from different perspectives. Difference is key.

[@pmcrimson]

It's so interesting to hear a relaxed reading of this poem. I like that the shift down in energy makes the lawyer's part feel incidental, rather than like a catalyst. :-)