Tuesday, September 22, 2015

A Day.


 7 alarms set on 2 devices;
2 snooze buttons pressed.
One coffee with milk & sugar,
My teeth are brushed,
And I’m quiet.
This was the fourth night in a row that
I had a vivid dream, so I wrote it in my
Journal.
“Father, what does it mean?”
Bethel ministers to my spirit as I read
Of Josiah’s faithfulness to the Lord and
Follow-through with the commands of the Lord
When Deuteronomy is read-aloud to him for the first time.
He disregards the patterns of his father
And sanctifies the land.
My messy mind loves reading the Bible chronologically.

One more alarm later signifies the end of my
Set apart time and I get dressed and ready for the day.
My coffee is reheated, my bag packed, and my shoes are on!

I walk out the side door, through the gate,
And call out, Bonjour Nouryann to my neighbor
Who fries goodies that school students purchase fresh
on their walk to school for the day.

Shiny cars, tinted windows, tap-taps, motos, beat-up vehicles,
Students from other schools, parents of other students, employees,
wanderers, goats,
Pass me on my 5 minute commute from home to school.

I enter the gate, greeting the guard,
Greeting students on the path alongside the soccer field,
As I move towards my classroom.
Today is Tuesday, so I don’t have a staff meeting.

I write comments on a 2nd draft of a 9th grade student’s
Autobiographical narrative and deposit it in her classroom mailbox.
Several students come in to ask questions before
First Period begins.

I read several parent emails and respond.

The nurse asks me about my health as I descend the high
School stairs in search of staples:
They ran out.
I catch the principal by the lockers for a conversation about
An assignment and my next class arrives as I break away during
The climax of the discussion.

Middle school typing. Students type up assignments
Using the correct fingers we’ve learned
Or continue on their typing lessons.
I have to chase two students out of class at the end
Because they are determined to finish the lessons they
Are working on!
*Sigh* (Good sigh)

High school break before next class.
Three 9th grade girls linger in my doorway
And one says, “we appreciate you, Miss.”
The lot of the 9th graders hustle in
For English class.
I now lock my door when class begins
Because tardiness was becoming an issue.
Word of the day, writing prompt about your favorite room
In the house, mini-lessons on writing traits, etc.
Class is over.  

Lunch.
Picnic table conversations with coworkers
A glutton-free friend
Eats glutton by mistake.
Discussions about church messages, adoption,
Students with lots of energy, etc. ensue.

Upon leaving the lunch table, I tell a coworker
That I want to tap her brain later for input
On an assignment I am giving students.
1:30pm, we agree.

I rush out the gate to say my daily, Bonswa
To my friends on Delmas 75 before returning to my
Classroom. My best friend, Venise, is not there.
M’ap vini, pita (I’ll come back later)
I promise as I wave goodbye to Natasha.
Natasha is probably only a year or two older
Than my students.
She is not fortunate enough to go to school.

Back in my classroom, I conference
With students—asking them questions
About the books they read this month.
One after the other…minus the students who
Blew off the meetings.
I quickly check my email and find one from a parent
That I’ll need to respond to soon.
Another message calls for a brief staff meeting after school.

12:45 and I head down to middle school to join
My coworker and friend during her writer’s workshop:
7th grade writing!
It’s school picture day
And this class period is interrupted to take the photos.
As students return they continue poems, essays, memoirs,
Short stories, among other brilliant escapades on paper.

After students leave, we briefly discuss some of life’s
Challenges, disappointments, frustrations,
And hope for some more insight as we pursue
Our separate directions for the next hour.

It’s 1:30pm.

I walk up to my other friend/coworker’s classroom,
Where much brainstorming, advice, insight has occurred
Over the past 2 years.
We collaborate well.
She helps me get unstuck as I sort through frustrations
With an assignment I have given to my students.
Mesi Jezi!

It’s 2pm.
Classes are switching.
I walk diagonally across the hall
Back to my classroom and turn the AC on
As students show up for Study Skills.
They work independently on assignments from other classes.

I conference with…it was going to be three students…
But two weren’t prepared.
So, one.
We talk about the book he read this month.
I give the “evil eye” once or twice as
Under-the-radar whispering begins.
Mozart plays softly in the background as students
Read, work on Geometry problems,
Peer edit papers, prepare Socratic Seminar notes…

“We have four minutes left. Please fill out your work logs
And then feel free to have a quiet conversation with people
Around you.”

I have students signed-up back-to-back
From 3-4pm.
The first one is a no-show, so I pop into the staff meeting,
Leaving a “Back in 2” note on my door.
The annual staff retreat is being postponed this weekend
Due to unrest on the main road leading to the beach. L

Back to my classroom to finish out student conferences.
In between no-shows, I respond to the necessary emails
And prepare my whiteboard for tomorrow.

The last book conference adds sparkle to my day.
She read The Giver this month.
After answering questions about the book,
She explains that she thought about how the
Dystopian world in the book is almost like
What life would be like without the Fall.
There is no pain, but there is also no freedom. There
Is no room to make mistakes. You try to deviate from
The “norm” and you are automatically “released” AKA: killed.

She was intrigued by what Lois Lowry did with twins in the book—
The babies are both weighed and the smallest one is “released.”
My 9th grader decided to apply this to her life—what would this mean
For her family? She asked her mother the birth weights
Of her and her sisters. My student discovered that her oldest sister
Was the smallest birth weight: what would life be like without her?
It would be really sad because she is the sister who both of the
Other girls get along with the most.
(Disclaimer: It was better when she explained it)

The power gets turned off at 4:30ish.

I open a window and finish grading an assignment
and stick it in the 9th grader’s class mailboxes.
I pack my bag.

It’s just after 5pm.

I walk across campus saying “goodnight” to
Students who are still hanging out.
I see a security guard who I haven’t seen in a long time.
I switch to Creole.
We talk, he asks about my father’s health.

I pass through the gate and find my friend Venise.
She is tired today.
My friends Linda and Patricia are also working today—
I don’t always see them!
Patricia has been caring for her baby and hasn’t
Been working on Delmas 75 much lately.
Yornell chides me for not saying “hi” to him.
I apologize profusely. :P
Some of the other ladies selling fruit beckon me over…
We talk about not having seen each other for a long time;
We talk about hair; we joke around.

One of my friends says she will stop by later on tonight,
And I tell her that I have some things I need to finish up
My walk on the way home from school.
And that tonight isn’t a good night.
Because I then have somewhere to be at 7:30.

I walk home.
I greet Manushka
And the next door neighbors
On my way into my gate I hear one of the friends
Of these neighbors call out in English,
“Hey what did you bring me.”
I turn around and call out to the rest of his friends,
Li fou paske li te mande m’ kisa m’ gen pou li, men
Li pa gen bagay pou m’! (He’s crazy because he asked
What I have for him but he doesn’t have anything for me!).
They laugh…perhaps at my ridiculousness in responding
Or maybe my joke is a tiny bit…funny? At least
The overkill jesting I used to illustrate my point, perhaps.

Here I am…I burned some leftover pizza as I heated it up on
The stove, unobserved.
And here, I write.
Thinking of how I must shower and then call Mark
To bring his moto to take me to worship tonight!

Thank You, Father, for the day You have provided.

May all I have said and done bring glory to You! 

1 comment:

  1. Ash, I was just catching up on your blog, and I really enjoyed this post! :-) All of your writing is awesome & inspiring. Miss you! love, Em

    ReplyDelete