"What you workin' on," he questioned me.
"Some lesson plans for next week," I responded.
"Do you have to go to a meeting?" he asked me.
"No," I smiled thinking that kids must associate plans with meetings.
Then, hearing the words of an administrator dancing in my head, I added glibly, "teachers should always make plans 'cause IF they win the lottery, someone could come in and do their job."
He was silent and looked at me sullenly as if I had committed a serious faux pas (and I had indeed ). "Don't you love your job?" he asked slowly taking my breath away and poking a hole right through my heart.
It took me a moment to regain my composure and respond.
"I guess you know me pretty well," I smiled as I patted his hand in the way you assure someone you really are THERE for them. "I have the best job on earth and that is the real reason I do lesson plans. I want every minute of our reading club to be great."
"I knew that," he said,"and that's why I do my best."
"I've never even played the lottery," I thought to myself as we began and perhaps, this is why. "Politics, paperwork, and annoying people aside, I really do have the best job on earth."
3 comments:
I agree! I don't play the lottery either. I do, however, fantasize from time to time, about an inheritance from a nonexistent long, lost uncle.
So glad you were able to reassure him. Isn't it funny what slips out of our mouths? I love teaching, but lots of other things about my job were the parts that I found challenging. On the Today show this morning they were talking about the small amount of people who ended up doing what they wanted to do when they were a kid. I'm one of the lucky few - always wanted to be a teacher, and I got to fulfill my childhood desires.
Sweet post... it's nice when we can reassure them. Sad that so many of us are ready to go, though. Just today a hall mate stopped by to tell me she resigned, effective the day before winter vacation. Ten years out the window. Reason? SO over the increased demands that make no sense. Sad.
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