Participating in this challenge has been the best experience for me. Taking time to express my thoughts in writing has invigorated me on so many levels. It has been a pleasure to look forward and sit down and read others' insightful blog entries.
I find as I approach Day 31 that my entries are not as deep. I think of what I want to write, and I think too deep, too personal...I could blog about my approach to teaching Macbeth (which incited great class discussions), or my classroom management techniques, but I actually want my entries to take me away from what consumes my entire day: planning, grading, teaching...
So I have decided to write a very "corny" piece about my Water Bottle.
I need my water bottle like a baby needs his or her milk bottle.
There is no weaning me from my grey clear bottle with fading measurements.
When I curve my index finger around its small plastic hook, I am ready for the day's work: teaching, listening, grading, sorting, photocopying. I am hooked.
I always fill my dear water bottle in the morning
and during the day if I have been disciplined about drinking.
On a day filled with stress, when I have forgotten to take my
water bottle from my bag, I pull out a filled bottle from my
bag at night and shake my head...
Afraid I might be reverting back to my early days of teaching
when I went to work with no breakfast in my belly,
met students in the morning to help them with college essays,
met students at lunch to help them with homework.
I would skip eating my lunch.
When I first started teaching, I sometimes
did not even take the time to go to the restroom.
After 22 years of teaching, I now realize that teaching with a hungry belly
and a filled bladder did not make me a better teacher.
It simply made me a hungry teacher who really needed to
go to the bathroom.
Actually now, the first stop when I arrive to school is the restroom and
then I gulp some water after going up all the flights of steps.
God has placed my classroom not far from the restroom, so if needed
between classes and definitely at lunch, I go to to the restroom.
I once lost my bottle for a couple of days.
I felt lost and disoriented without it.
My water bottle.
It helps me in so many situations.
It saves me money when I go grab a bite to eat. No dollars spent on expensive
juices, water, or soda.
My water bottle stands proudly beside me.
When I am traveling home, I dig into my bag, and there is my water bottle
hopefully with a little water left. I am more than
delighted to drink the remaining drops.
Oh, yes, I spoke of loss.
When I did recover my bottle, my life seemed to have been restored.
If I am in a room where people are venting and inadvertently
sharing criticism about everything and nothing,
I can always take big gulps and pretend I am
too busy drinking and swallowing to participate...
Drinking water helps me
Stay hydrated
Save money.
Stay out of gossip.
My water saves me from
an end-of-the day headache.
It keeps me from using the
disposable water bottles that pollute
our environment.
Thank you for being there for me, water bottle
for many years now.
That is a riot! I try to fill mine for my short 2 1/2 hour days - really for the way home or out to do errands. Your slice is great and just made me smile! I love your attraction to your bottle!
ReplyDeleteFunny...that I can relate to not wanting to think too deeply about anything (I am on spring break) So your surprising little "water bottle" entry grabbed my attention. I can also relate to your allegiance to a special water bottle. maybe that is what I will write about tomorrow....thanks :)
ReplyDeleteI wish I had such an affinity for a water bottle. No such luck. But, my coffee cup, on the other hand...now that's a different story! ;)
ReplyDeleteMore proof that when you are empty you are full! But one thing I'm particularly relating to is the challenge of deciding what to blog about--when to have this blog pull you more deeply and meaningfully into the education work you do with so much passion, commitment, skill, and knowledge, and when you want and need this blog to return to you or express to others aspects of your life and your soul that you routinely push aside because your job and your high standards for it take so much of your energy and attention. Scott just painted a picture called "Gather the Gold"--it's on his web site www.scottketcham.com. I think your blog is about gathering gold, which we're lucky that you're sharing with us. But there are so many types of gold in your life; will look forward to seeing which types you decide to blog about. Your gold has been gold for me!
ReplyDeleteWow! I love Scott Ketcham's "Gather the Gold." It is a vibrant piece. As the subject of the poet leans back, I sense her need not only to gather but keep her gold. I hope to come to an exhibit soon.
ReplyDeleteI, too, have a water bottle that I love. I've never considered writing a slice about it. LOVE this. I must say, I love these lines, "I now realize that teaching with a hungry belly and a filled bladder did not make me a better teacher. It simply made me a hungry teacher who really needed to go to the bathroom." YES!!! My classroom is as far away from the rest room as it can be. That stinks, but I still drink water and sprint between classes. GREAT slice!
ReplyDeleteJoan Soble's comment captures everything going through my mind as I read your ode to the water bottle. Just last week I had a day where I inadvertently walked out of the house without my water bottle (MCAS testing messed up my usual routine), and I HAD to double back to get it... there is no way I'm making it through my day without my trusty water bottle. I often marvel at my students who ask to use the water fountain... I always tell them yes, but please consider bringing a water bottle so you don't have to be thirsty during class. Reading this piece makes me grateful for my water bottle in a way I hadn't previously noticed. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteThis line: "It simply made me a hungry teacher who really needed to
ReplyDeletego to the bathroom." This water bottle is a prescient reminder to "drink" in so many ways, particularly given the exhaustion that teaching can induce. Blogging can restore some of that, I've found, but what has restored me more has been the community aspect of the challenge. We all teach in the same building, but I'd wager we'd spent more time actually engaging in thoughtful, intellectual discussion through these blogs. Time well spent for me, truthfully, and so much more valuable than any PD. Again, many thanks.