The speaker is an experienced educator attending a dinner party. Faced with condescending remarks about their profession and income, the speaker initially tries to stay quiet before delivering a direct, honest soliloquy. They redefine the concept of what a teacher "makes" by listing the specific impacts they have on their students' academic and moral development, demonstrating that their worth is not tied to a salary.

Referred to simply as "He" in the poem, this unnamed attendee at the dinner party prompts the central conflict. The speaker hints that he might be a lawyer or hold a similarly lucrative profession. He measures a person's value by their financial income and views teaching as a fallback career for those who cannot succeed elsewhere, asking the speaker directly how much money they make.

The unnamed children in the speaker's classroom represent the pupils who benefit directly from the teacher's dedication. They are pushed beyond their perceived limits, taught to question authority, and guided to follow their hearts. The speaker recounts specific classroom interactions with them, such as denying a bored student a bathroom break or helping a child stand up to a bully.

The parents of the children in the speaker's classroom exist in the periphery of the poem's narrative. The speaker notes that they make these parents tremble in fear when called into a meeting. Ultimately, the teacher guides them to see their children clearly for who they are and what they can achieve.