“Growing up, I remember playing the game “Simon Says.”  Hordes of neighborhood kids stood in formation, with our eyes and ears focused intently on the leader’s instructions.  The winner crowned when one kid showed the ability to do exactly as the Simon said.

When educators step in front of the classroom, society entrusts them with the power of being “Simon.” Students are expected to play by the teacher’s rules and, if they do, students will be deemed “successful.”
In the game of education, teachers serve as models for how students should communicate and function as people. In my own classroom, I find students using my catchphrases in everyday conversations, walking into rooms like me, and some even electing to dress like me.  So much of their identity development is tied to the adults who teach them.
Theresa Davis reminds us of this truth in her book, “Simon Says.”  Through her poetry, Theresa highlights the need for adults to show young people how to empathize with one another and the damage that can be done when we do not provide these essential instructions. Each poem is a call to action, urging us to see the inherent worth in young people, to recognize their excellence, and to affirm their integrity.
Soon young people will inherit the Earth.  If we do not share Theresa Davis’s compassion for our future leaders and provide them with a guide in becoming caring human beings, who else will teach them these values?