Tuesday, February 25, 2014

How Else Am I Supposed To Mark My Territory?

You would think that if one walked into a computer lab, and saw 22 computers, with 22 chairs, some with people sitting in front of them, some with dark screens and no people sitting in front of them, and a single computer showing the screen was locked, with a red gradebook, a stack of science project lists labeled 5th Hour, 6th Hour, and 7th Hour, and a pair of bifocals with dark purple frames resting upon the stack of science project lists resting upon the red gradebook directly in front of that monitor...one would choose an unoccupied computer at which to work. You would be wrong.

"Hey! Is somebody sitting here?" The One picked up my gradebook, glasses, and three classes worth of science project hypotheses, research, and procedures and started to set them on a desk in the middle of the room. "I'm taking this computer."

Au contraire.

I stopped him. "What are you doing with my stuff? I  am using that computer to take attendance. When I am done, anybody can use it."

Seriously? Who does that? Oh. I know. The kind of kid who will grow up to be a teacher who shows up after the festival seating is filled at the faculty meeting, and moves a colleague's pile of papers waiting to be graded surreptitiously during the information dissemination.

Elaine Benes had an easier go of saving theater seats for "Checkmate" at the Paradise Twin.

2 comments:

Sioux Roslawski said...

I hope I am retired before that one becomes an educator. They might run roughshod into BigCityLand and want to set up their classroom in my district.

(Please give me plenty of warning.)

Hillbilly Mom said...

Sioux,
I will warn you by singing "Lemon tree, very pretty, and the lemon flower is sweet. But the fruit of the poor lemon is impossible to eat."

Or I might just frantically holler, "Tippy-toe! Tippy-toe!"