Keeping It Close to the Fest

This was the final weekend before finals. You know what those are. They are the assessment tool worth twenty percent of a student’s grade, and they have a huge impact on whether they move on to the next grade or not. With that said, let’s put on a teen literature festival! Man, what horrible timing.

Listen to me; I don’t even mean that. The district holds a lit fest for the teens every other year, and I do get a real kick out of it. Though they are severely outnumbered by those who hate reading, we have so many students who get a kick out of it, and it is exciting to see. So I didn’t mind volunteering with the event at all. This is just a stressful time for teachers as well. I guess that’s the reason for the outburst.

Really the only thing that was stressful about this past Saturday was having to spend it with some of my fellow teachers. Remember, weekends are just not my time away from the students. They are also my time away from my colleagues. What can I say? Familiarity can breed contempt.

Even though this was a school function, I think I was just unnerved by seeing these teachers in a less formal setting. Let me tell you something; these people are just as irritating with their cell phones as my students are. Do you know what’s worse than having the teacher stationed next to you who sings “You Lost That Loving Feeling” on her husband’s voicemail so he could play it for their cocker spaniel because she likes to bark to it? What’s worse is two other teachers who thought it singing back-up would be “adorable.”

Then there was the teacher who was on the other side of me who had a bluetooth in his ear for eight straight hours without getting a single call. Dude, take that thing out. Nobody’s cares.