What's left

What's left

 

 

 

they line up for diplomas

shake a hand, smile

retreat down steps

 

 

             (wondering how they ascended)

 

books, papers, tests find their scope

in a vacant lens

it's a document that proves manipulation

and being manipulated is a mind's foregone conclusion

 

meaning is lost in grade point averages

and copying turned down and handed down rhetoric

and rhetorical questions,

already answered rather than explored

 

who's next in line,

for the handshake,

the plea for an earthquake

to shake it all up into real understanding

 

education is integration of what matters

with what flatters prospective employers

 

but who are we after all is said and done?

mimics, clones, drones

doing what the others do

how they do

and why they do

 

tear it up,

blow it up

rend it, don't defend it

 

jump out of the mode

careless of their code

and speak for yourself---

 

or just trip back down the steps

with that meaningless parchment

 

reflecting

intellect with little heart,

and barely a soul to 

 

                                 fall back on.

 

 

 

 

erin-cilberto

6/24/16

Reviews

[Chinny Barney]

l feel so excited being here.....Given an opportunity to critique creative wonderful poems makes me grey my writing experience...laughing hard.

The ''rich" do cry too.Our translation of education in the West is so over rated here in Nigeria.Your poem is a subtle reminder that attitude is everything.Our change must begin with us,ditch the status quo of what should and what shouldn't.The time to steer our wheels is now.

Well written Jacob....Keep being inspired.....chinny barney

[jacob erin-cilberto]

thank you so much for your sharing how you relate to this...and your kind words, Chinny.

read morethank you so much for your sharing how you relate to this...and your kind words, Chinny.

j.

[barleygirl]

WOW! WOW! And WOW! This is the most powerful statement I've read of yours, about ANYTHING (so far). I love the way you're taking a more detailed & specific & less nuanced approach here (you know me, I'm all about straightforward). You are so spot on about the meaning or lack of meaning, of that hard-earned diploma, depending on the graduate's approach:
"jump out of the mode
careless of their code
and speak for yourself---
or just trip back down the steps
with that meaningless parchment"
(outstanding!!!!)

[jacob erin-cilberto]

thank you for your very kind review, barleygirl...

j.

[softlyfall]

I think this ennui and fall from relevance is true of many modern mores and institutions. We have digital anonymity, we have a tolerance of violence and hate, we have deliberate blindness that is so often self-imposed.
Education should be the forum for saving mankind from this, from inculcation and conformity.
In the end, it will be up to individuals who refuse to confrom, who create and think.
Like you.
Thank you.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

thank you for your words, Amy...

j.

[zunie frost]

Your poems. Are really great.. I liked it
Great work

[jacob erin-cilberto]

thank you for your kind words, zunie.

j.

[Nisreen]

I guess education has changéd
Because If it had a real impact it would have rather produced mines of great individuality
Maybe education should have Been something That evolved a mind to finds Its own path of thought
And accept all others
Maybe it should have Been That light switch That comes on
Illuminating all That is within and outside
I wonder

Love your Work

[jacob erin-cilberto]

thank you for your kind review, Curiosity...

changing, but i wonder if for the better....everything is about tests and assessment, but what are they really getting out of it all?

j.

[RedHairedWarrior]

You very powerfully highlight some of the many problems with our education system. We all have to attend school, and we all have to get certain grades to "pass," but that does not mean that we care about what we are supposed to be "learning." We learn to spit back answers while it matters for our grade, and do the bare minimum to keep up said grade, but that is about it... (Which is why I love college classes that require thinking, even if they are more "work.")

[jacob erin-cilberto]

now you would be a student i would enjoy in my class...you want to think...i just push buttons...and hope students will think outside the box.

j.

[AliciaB]

Wow. This is quite an intense piece, especially for a reader who just graduated high school. It's a stark reminder of what could potentially become the reality for people in my situation - mindless monotony, "going with the flow," trading in one's morals and personal ways of thinking for what everyone else does. There definitely was a lot of copying and other forms of cheating (or just lack of intellectual effort) that went on in my class. I didn't participate in it, but it drove me a little crazy. But the good thing is that we don't have to live like this. Like the challenge you gave in your poem, we have a chance to be more than a number or a name on a sheet of paper. Very interesting read. Nice work!

[jacob erin-cilberto]

thank you very much, Alicia, for your kind review and sharing your story...

j.

[Lydia Shutter]

YES! We are forced to be in a cookie cutter mold in college...whether student or teacher. Teach the syllabus with a certain amount of on line learning and a certain amount of lecturing. Those who can stay on the path receive either tenure or a diploma. Thing is, later in life, no one asks how well you did in college. Out of the world of academia, being a little different and taking initiative is appreciated. It's ironic really. Loved this one. Lydi**

[jacob erin-cilberto]

thank you for saying this, Lydi...because i certainly am different in my approach---and i stay away from lecturing, the memorization thing---ugh

j.

[Lydia Shutter]

Good! Innovation is important at the college level.

[Nessly]

Exactly! This is a strong and powerful message regarding today's school system. So many students are pushed through school without possessing true knowledge of the subjects they study. Rote memorization seems to be the key to success now days. :(

[jacob erin-cilberto]

thank you for your insights and kind words, Nessly..
j.

[Nessly]

You're welcome. :)

[Marianne Rose]

Yes- I like it- after reading your bio and working at a Community College myself, it captures so much of what I see also. I like the way it speeds up at the end and packs a punch that says blow it all up, OR just keep going the way it's always been. I hope you share it with students too. Sometimes writing is the only thing that saves me from the boredom of lack of innovation. if we keep writing, maybe a ripple of change will come?

[jacob erin-cilberto]

well, we keep writing, hoping the message might come...back in the sixties there was a message of peace, love, hope..an ideal...it seemed to disappear and i don't know if we can get it back...

but teaching gives me a chance to try to get students to think outside the box, and to care---many of them do...but feel helpless to change anything.

i really appreciate your words, Marianne.
thank you for your visit...

j.