Endangered Education

In halls once filled with promise bright, A shadow creeps and dims learning's light. Reform, a word with noble aim, Now, threatens all in education's name. Standardized tests, a rigid cage, Confine young minds upon the page. Creativity withers on the vine, As rote replaces reason's shine. Teachers, once guided with passion true, Now struggle 'neath a system skewed. Their art is reduced to data points, Their calling is lost in policy's joints. Oh, the irony of good intent, How quality became so bent. In case of scores and rankings high, We've let true learning's essence die. But hope remains if we but choose, To break these bonds, our schools infuse With substance rich and wisdom deep, And from this slumber, knowledge reap. Let's nurture curiosity's flame, Embrace the joy in learning's game. Revive conditions ripe for growth, Where minds can flourish, reaching both For stars above and roots below, In soil where understanding grows. Public education must not fall, Its promise still can serve us all. So let us turn, with urgent care, To mend this system in despair. Improve, infuse, and reimagine, A future bright for education. For in these classrooms, large and small, Lies potential to transform us all. If we but dare to change our course, And tap into learning's truest source.