Everyone I know,
especially we who teach,
know what Monday means.
Monday is when the cogs starts turning….
It means, one more day of holding on and trying
to stay upright with a smile stapled to your face
and to march, as soldiers, to a classroom
that has become a minefield
It means, another 5 days to crawl over razor blades,
To keep more tasks that can be done at one time, completed
while managing to keep your personal life from dying
and to keep your soul from being chipped away just a little more
As a gear’s cog turns an engine, so we turn the wheel
that churns through the muck and the confusion
of what teaching has become…
And stir the shit that we find ourselves drowning in…
“Quit whining”, they say, or “Change Jobs!” .
or “Just do something else!”
but they need the cogs to keep turning
even though they are cracking under the pressure….
They call us cowards for not wanting to do our jobs
and not wanting to risk our lives…
They just go on about their worlds…and so what–
After all, if the cog breaks, just get another gear….
They’re cheap and expendable.
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