The Long Commute

I've got three screens, two computers and a phone,
a mic, a headset and it's all at home.
I teach whole classes yet I'm all alone
As I start the long commute.

Starting Zoom all I see are avatars.
or names set on black blank spaces.
The silence speaks volumes as I stare at the screen
wondering am I speaking without leaving any traces?

Going over and over and over again,
in hopes at some point they get it,
the story, the wonder, the theory, the joy
is worth so much more than the grade or credit.

It's a long commute in every subject
no matter the school, grade or age
It's full of traffic and detours and unexpected stops
retracing steps, and getting lost on the page.

We miss the time, we miss the connection
when we would know before they ever turned it in
That something stuck, something permanent,
The teacher's best pay is that grin.