On Friday, I ran at top speed to the copier 3 minutes before the ringing of the school bell. I had a math test in my hand that desperately needed copying. I felt lucky to have gotten to the copier just before a young student teacher. Ha, Ha on you, Student Teacher, I thought to myself. I was going to make it. As per usual, the copier told us there was a misfeed which we could not locate. After yanking various parts of the machine to and fro, I looked at the student teacher and inexplicably began taking up more time with the following impromptu, yet heartfelt, speech, "You know, this is teaching. Not only do you feel intense frustration and panic because a copier will always break when you need it most leaving you without
essential materials for your lesson plan, you are also flooded with an intense self loathing because you've irresponsibly left an essential task to the last minute when you very well knew that decision to be potentially disastrous for all concerned. Frustration. Panic. Intense Self Loathing. This is what you want to do with the rest of your life?"
He offered to run up to the copier in the main building and copy all our papers for us. I thanked him heartily. Later, I felt a little bad about the negative
spinning I had done. I should have ended with a cheery and true, "But everything usually works out just fine."
Way to take action, Student Teacher. You're obviously going to be one of
the greats.
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