What Teachers Make

“What Teachers Make” is a poem by Taylor Mali, an acclaimed performance poet, educator, and advocate for teachers worldwide. He’s published five collections of poetry and one chapbook. With over nine years of experience teaching in the classroom, Mali draws on personal experiences to explore themes of education, worth, and honesty in “What Teachers Make.” Written in the passionate, rhythmic, and occasionally rhyming style of spoken word slam poetry, Mali’s poem refuses to define a teacher’s worth by their salary; instead, it lists the many key roles teachers play in the lives of their students — nearly all of which lie outside of the textbook curriculum.

Published in 2002 as part of his first full-length collection, What Learning Leaves, Mali’s slam poem “What Teachers Make” is a testament to and a celebration of teachers worldwide. Slam poetry often adopts controversial subjects (such as religion, politics, and topics of social justice) and Mali’s poem is no exception. Commenting on deeper themes of often underappreciated and undervalued teachers, Mali’s “What Teachers Make” is a loud, impressive voice speaking the truth of what an important job teachers have.