This poem, writen by Rob Siltanen, was part of an early Apple advertising campaign. He was a creative director for the company.
It stands out for me, because it echoed a phrase that emerged from my dissertation: “Differences make a difference.” It is in difference we discover what makes us each exceptional. Without the differences, we blend into an indistinguishable mass mere copies of one another. Worse yet, we might only copy the worst of the people we see succeeding.
The poem reminds of the Michelangelo quote: “Every block of stone has a statue inside it and it is the task of the sculptor to discover it.”
To be a teacher, is to inspire and allow each student to discover who they are. It is to be mindful and sensitive to what makes each of them different. It is to both serve and lead at the same time. It is to be different one’s self, as a teacher. How else could a teacher inspire?
The misfits.
The rebels.
The troublemakers.
The round pegs in the square holes.
The ones who see things differently.
They’re not fond of rules.
And they have no respect for the status quo.
You can praise them, disagree with them, quote them,
glorify or vilify them.
About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them.
Because they change things.
They invent. They imagine. They heal.
They explore. They create. They inspire.
They push the human race forward.
Maybe they have to be crazy.
How else can you stare at an empty canvas and see a work of art?
Or sit in silence and hear a song that’s never been written?
Or gaze at a red planet and see a laboratory on wheels?
And while some may see them as the crazy ones,
While we see genius.
Because the people who are crazy enough to think
they can change the world, are the ones who do.”
ivonprefontaine
Teacher as Transformer 
Reblogged this on A Grateful Man and commented:
To Creatives everywhere, and to those who benefit from their boldness. May you succeed beyond your wildest dreams.
With Love,
Russ
I love the comment Russ. Thank you for adding to the poem. Bold and wild are things we need.
Inspiring, Ivon. Thank you for sharing with us. 🙂
You are welcome Amy.
wonderful
Thank you,
Reblogged this on Die Erste Eslarner Zeitung – Aus und über Eslarn, sowie die bayerisch-tschechische Region!.
I liked this
Thank you Joanne.
I love this so much. Thank you.
You are welcome.
This all resonates with me, teachers are heroes they bring out the different in those who are special they inspire and help and good ones are never forgotten! It is a thin line between brilliance and madness , a line that is often crossed! xx
I agree. It is not the content the teacher teaches we remember. It how they made us feel to paraphrase Maya Angelou.
Indeed 🎆
wonderful poem for its time…today, people who strive for change are close minded and of one mindset…violence…very sad
Change is continuous. We forget we cannot force it fit our needs. That is what causes the violence. It is sad.
A lot of hope in this poem!
There is. It is what makes me get up in the morning.
Very interesting. 😀 I always enjoy your posts. 😀
Thank you. I enjoy your cartoons and stories
Thank you! 😀 I’m so glad. 😀