which the master? which the servant?

technology can cut my time to double

my mother used to say that cooking with a child

cut her time cooking to double,

that’s how I feel about each new computer-born system,

there’s always the hope that this program will be the tool

that helps teaching and learning become easier,

maybe that can be so--quicker, surer,

for me, though, each helpful software system

cuts my time to double,

as the screen calls me more than the child,

as the system can glitch

and I have to juggle more and more,

I dread to hear “the server is down. . . the internet is down,”

I work to juggle what I hope to teach 

and how my students learn,

and I fear to drop them

when the technology balls I hope to also juggle

drop too often to the floor. 

by Henry H. Walker

December 5, ’14