job hazards

Post-its are squirrelled in every pants pocket

HB pencils leave jet streamed lines on my shirt like skyrockets

My fave marker I mark with leaks, squeaks, and runs

The pen I just lost will be found just after I start a new one

Whiteboards are stained with all my best lessons

Wifi could be back on in 10, 20, or 30 minutes I’m guessing

Where are my keys? I swear they were right here in my classroom 

Ah shit they’re at home, in the upstairs bathroom

What’s that in my cup? Not sure what I’m drinking

It’s probably coffee from last week I’m thinking

My back and my feet and my gut are starting to ache

Should be fine though, if I can get a quick toilet break

I need to check voicemail but don’t want to take that chance

Cause that questionable coffee makes me think I might crap my pants. 

calculus

After jumping in to 
save her athlete,
Andrea Fuentes said-
'We push through limits
and sometimes we find
them.'

A practical response
to being asked about
Anita Alverez fainting
while swimming.

A practical response
that sits well with 
the 'get things done'
crowd.

I try and think of 
an educational 
equivalent and come 
up terrifically
short.

Go ahead, Google the 
story. You'll see my 
challenge.

What have we made
so common of an 
occurrence, that even
we are tired of hearing 
our stories?

There was once bounce
in our discussions,
in the trials, and 
the tribulations of our day.
'Wow, what a story! Well let
me tell you what happened
today!'

I remember a time I could 
show up at any party
and regale a moment 
from school to the non
teacher crowd and it would
be met with astonished looks
and earnest OMG's.

Those days have passed.
Those stories have lost
their magic.
We float out of harm's
way the moment we lock 
tired eyes with any
of our colleagues.

Something in this swimmer's 
story rhymes with this time 
of the year.

There are teachers I 
know that are at their
limits.

Some are sinking.

Some have sunk before.

Some are seeking medical 
counsel.

Some did not even notice 
that they drowned.

And I just received 
a message on one of my 
digital classrooms- 
'Hey cluff!
You ready for summer?'

I am not sure.

I am suddenly realizing
that each of us are so 
deep in our stories-
that this year, even 
these last two years, 
has made our shared 
experiences questionable.

It's funny though,
talking about trips, 
and camps, and summer
plans has not made
my readiness any firmer.

Fuentes has said that 
this is not the first
time her swimmer has
fainted during a 
competition.

The drowning while
working metaphor is not
lost on me.

Two years of meeting
obstacles along a path 
is not the same as
two years of achieving
goals.

Some time off from
being consumed by the 
work; another metaphor
I know; would be a
nice change.

That is a summer
I am ready for.