What Teachers Make

“What Teachers Make” is a spoken-word performance poem. Using elements of rhyme and anaphora, “What Teachers Make” is a free verse poem that draws on attributes of slam poetry, namely rhythmic passion and a “rise” or a climax. Divided into five stanzas, the poem opens with an unnamed “He” (Line 1) making a statement about the “problem with teachers” (Line 1). Offset by italics, this person asks a question to a table of dinner guests — a question which functions as the kindling for the rest of the poem: “What’s a kid going to learn / from someone who decided his best option in life / was to become a teacher?” (Lines 2-4).

Written in the present tense, the poem has a feeling of immediacy to it. The speaker, a teacher, tries not to get involved (“I decide to bite my tongue instead of his [Line 8]). The first stanza plays out much like the drama of a play. A setting is established (“He reminds the other dinner guests” [Line 5]) and characters are driven to the point of action (the “He” is making unfounded statements about teachers), instigating the speaker who tries not to get involved. At the start of the second stanza (Lines 12-13), the “He” (Line 1) directly calls the speaker out, asking “What do you make?” (Line 13), which opens the door for the speaker’s response.

Delivered in the style of soliloquy — a technique that is often used in plays, characterized by one character speaking their thoughts regardless of whether others can hear — the speaker responds. Line 14 opens with the speaker’s frustration (“And I wish he hadn’t done that — asked me to be honest” [Line 14]) coupled with annoyance. They don’t want to engage in a heated debate over dinner in front of guests, but they will because they believe in the truth and in the importance of education. Line 17 (“You want to know what I make?” [Line 17]) leads to a long list in which the speaker names specific examples of what they “make” students do. These examples are rooted in themes of learning, developing into an adult, understanding what it is to be an honest citizen, and paying the consequences for one’s actions. These themes are represented through specific actions in the poem: “I can make a C+ feel like a Congressional Medal of Honor” (Line 19) and recounting a kid standing up to the biggest bully in the school (Lines 31-35). The poem alternates between italics and non-italics, indicating conversations between the speaker and other characters (the kids in the classroom, the parents of the kids).

“What Teachers Make” emphasizes the word “make.” While indicated in Line 13 to be referencing money (“Be honest. What do you make?”) Mali redefines the word “make” from one’s salary to the effect a teacher has on their students and the world. Stanza 4 uses anaphora — the repetition of a word or phrase at the start of a clause or line — to list what teachers “make,” for instance: “I make them question. / I make them criticize. / I make them apologize and mean it” (Lines 39-41). Mali’s speaker pushes back in the poem against money as a definition of one’s value or worth. In Line 10 the speaker references lawyers, possibly alluding to the profession of the “He” (Line 1). Lawyers — and other high-power, lucrative professions — make significantly more money than teachers. Yet, Mali’s speaker argues that those jobs don’t have the same profound impact. Lines 49-52 draw directly on this point when the speaker states in the form of a climax what teachers really teach: “I make them understand that if you’ve got this” where the speaker points to their mind, “then you follow this” pointing to their heart, “and if someone ever tries to judge you / by what you make, you give them this” gesturing the middle finger (Lines 49-52). “What Teachers Make” concludes with this final gesture by the speaker to the “He” (Line 1) and the other dinner guests; the poem argues that the value of a teacher is not based on their paycheck but rather on the impact they make on hundreds (or thousands) of children’s lives.

Summed up in the final rhyming couplet, the speaker’s use of the word “make” has nothing to do with money: “Teachers make a goddamn difference!” (Line 54). The poem concludes with the speaker turning back to the original conversation, ending their soliloquy, and challenging the “He” (Line 1): “Now what about you?” (Line 54). “What Teachers Make” is an anthem for those who educate. It seeks to recognize the value of teachers and draws on the impact they have beyond the classroom. Teachers, Mali argues, do not simply teach math or English. They teach life lessons, morals, and ethics; they shape future citizens. With each beat and each new example, Mali answers the initial, titular question “what do you make” with the argument that a teacher’s work is ultimately priceless.