The hit song, "School's Out", by Motor City's Vincent Damon Furnier (known as Alice Cooper), is in full play today — much as it was when it was released way back in 1972 and every year since. With the sound of the final bell, doors across the state's school districts burst open with wild-eyed children ready for swimming pools, popsicles and lazy summer days under a hot Texas sun.

Meanwhile, the state of Texas, like pretty much every other state across the country, is embroiled in a war of school budget cuts. One side arguing for sound fiscal responsibility and the other side warning that further cuts to our education harms the future of our children.

That said, I want to celebrate those teachers who teach out of passion, with a conviction to do their level best to help our children love to learn. Teachers who create an environment where it is safe for a student to explore the big, sometime scary world around us. Where each child is given the opportunity and responsibility to choose his or her own path, all the while knowing that each of us can be whomever we want so long as we have faith in ourselves and work hard to pursue our dreams.

Lofty speak you say amongst the youthful screaming, sneezing, and snarkiness that teachers must endure day in and day out? Perhaps, but let us dispense with cynicism if only for today, the "last day of school," and acknowledge that there are many teachers in many schools around the country who wake up each day and help our children love to learn. And by doing this they do in fact make society move forward.

So here' s a tribute to one of them by a class in a public school right here in Houston. I share an email that I received this morning about a teacher at Houston Independent School District's exemplary Mark Twain Elementary School. It's a poem written by all the students in Rebecca Zirczy's (pronounced "zerk-see") fourth grade class (disclosure: my child is in her class).

To me, this poem symbolizes what great teaching is all about and it is what we need to keep in mind when making tough decisions about layoffs vs. hiring: Some decisions are good for the bottom line, others most certainly jeopardize the future of our children.

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June 3, 2011

To the Parents of Ms. Zirczy's class:

Ms. Zirczy’s class presented her yesterday with the poetry book they created for her last week. They took it in turns to read out their poems and she tells me was in turn laughing and wiping a tear away at each one. They did a really great job.

The poems they wrote were all called “Ms. Zirczy is…” and during the workshop I did with them last week, we worked hard on finding metaphors and similes to give a strong picture of what Ms. Z has meant to them and done for them this year. They also did a lot of brainstorming about smells, tastes, sounds, sights and feelings (both touchable and emotional) that connected her to them.

Below are some of the highlights of the poems (and I wish I could have shown you them all) ... I hope you enjoy reading the full poems, and wish you all a wonderful summer.

Caroline

(Kirsty’s mom)

Ms Zirczy is …

· a big cup of cocoa, as warm as the sun (River)

· like a bomb because she explodes our imagination (Titus)

· a colorful lightning bolt, electrocuting me with creativity (Sophie)

· the yellow rays of sunshine making its way through the leaves to give me her golden smile (Hannah)

· a teddybear, a fuzzy wuzzy bear waiting to be hugged every day (Jackie)

· fresh spring water flowing through our minds with knowledge (Kirsty)

· like an angel, making 4th grade as easy as eating cake (Nishanth)

· the warm chocolate cake on the table (Kate)

· like a tire, smoothing our way to 5th grade (Delaney)

· a jellybean, a hyperactive teacher never running out of energy to teach (John)

· warm like a husky’s fur because she wears her jacket a lot (Luke)

· like a flying flower, worth trying to catch (Mason)

· like a wizard — she sprays you with her magic, making the 4th grade faster than you think (Alissa)

· like a caramel covered apple because of her sweet and warm smile (Ethan)

· a golden sled, sliding through our heads with knowledge (Cyril)

· like a bomb, exploding us with creativity (Cole)

· a cup of hot chocolate on a cold winter day (Kelsey)

And also…

Her voice is like a pigeon playing jazz (Charles)

I hear her voice sounding like a flute (David)

I hear the clicker of dreadfulness ending our wonderful recesses (Carlos)

I see Aphrodite brushing her hair with a gold brush (Colleen)

I feel nice and warm around her like a warm campfire (Caitlyn)

I hear the clicker at recess as loud as a gun (Jeremy)