Approximate reading time: 3min
Written 12th July 2021
Today was amazing
I had such a great day
As I sat in the staffroom
With some colleagues as we played…
a domino championship
I can’t remember the last time
I’ve laughed so much
It felt a little sublime
I sat feeling connected
Happy
Anxiety free
Grateful to find a school
where I can just be me
No, it’s not perfect
There have been some ups and downs
but overall I adore
this place that I have found
I usually avoid staffrooms
(Like the bubonic plague)
many are not that friendly
at the end of the day
And in the past, I’ve found
it hard to comprehend
Why is it we have to
continually contend
With teachers who feel
It’s perfectly okay
To sit and bitch about children
Throughout the whole day
I find it exhausting
listening to them moan
About the behaviour and audacity
of tiny souls not yet grown
Of course, it’s not all teachers
(I have to clarify)
There are so many who feel
As frustrated as I
One young teacher
I met last year at a school
Confided to me bewildered
“This is really not cool
I’m shocked by how many teachers
don’t even like kids
It’s not even something
that is easily hid”
I once heard a teacher
jokingly say
“You won’t believe what Damien
said to me today
He came and asked me
Completely deadpan
Could he please be put onto
Ritalin!”
She laughed as she recalled
her words back to him
(Not an inch of empathy
just a smirky grin)
“You know that Ritalin
won’t make you smart!”
Honestly, all I thought was
“Do you even have a heart?”
I’ve never worked with a child
with so many difficulties
Dyslexia
dyscalculia
ADHD
But my God
was he amazing
so determined and kind
Sportsmen of the year
every single time
That kid had one of the biggest
hearts I’ve ever seen
how dare anybody say something
so incredibly mean
Sorry I think I’m off
on a tangent, yet again
It’s my own frustration with myself
Because I never spoke up to defend
Instead, I would silently listen
To hurtful words said
So, it became easier to avoid
those situations instead
But for some reason this staffroom
is nothing like that
All the teachers do is sit around
and genuinely chat
Everyone greets others
As they walk through that door
It’s the friendliest school
I’ve EVER been in before
And then to top it all off
at the end of the day
My headteacher came to find me
Once more to finally say
They are buying out my contract
I will no longer be self-employed
After 12 long years
I’m ecstatic
Overjoyed
So, gratitude, gratitude
is oozing from my veins
I am so very proud of myself
That I managed to sustain
I persevered
I used my voice
I didn’t run away
I’m just overwhelmed with peacefulness
everything is ok