Who Taught Whom

Students my teachers      
learning early on      
quality lessons wavered      
tolerance gone      
     
speaking loudly      
with authority      
seeking respect      
based on superiority      
     
demanding obediance  
control not mine      
fighting harder      
behavioural decline      
     
a while passed      
before I recovered      
here are the truths      
I eventually discovered      
     
guide with compassion      
practice humility      
avoid confrontation      
demonstrate affability      
     
not commanding    
how others choose to act      
only ensuring  
how best to react  
     
rapport is built      
with patient prudence      
responding gently      
affords compliance    
     
to be of value      
high esteem expected      
promote confidence      
leave dignity protected      
     
upon these realisations      
objectives within reach      
it was then and only then      
that I began to teach