Today I heard a student say, “What do you think is actually in there?”
And that’s all it took to catapult me back through time - back to the days when I was the student peering down the hall at the only unexplained room in the school: the teacher’s lounge. The door seemed to loom. It had an aura around it, almost as if it cast off its own glow, somehow regal in its plain wooden exterior. To those of us nestled in the elementary world, it seemed impenetrable. What do they do in there? we’d wonder aloud. It must be something special, or the door would be left open, rather than closed tightly. Our imaginations left to run untethered, it was too limitless to fathom. So inexplicable was it that we could never come up with a single logical explanation as to what lay behind the door to the teacher’s lounge. Clearly it couldn’t be just a room! Looking back of course I laugh. For it is simply, just a room, encircled by four walls, much like any other room in the building. It has a table and chairs, a fridge and a microwave, a sink and a stove much like any kitchen that students are accustomed to. The door may be closed from time to time, but that’s mostly to give teachers a break from being constantly accessible or to mute the boisterous laughter coming from inside. It’s funny how, despite the decades between then and now, students are the same. Their perception of “The Lounge” is the same. Somehow, the magic of what lies beyond holds true, no matter what else the march of time has changed. ***************** Addendum: I also find myself grateful to be on the other side of the door, sharing in the community that is education and the laughs that ensue from what we do.
2 Comments
3/16/2022 01:55:23 pm
So true! In the distant past (before I was a teacher) the door was also shut because of the cigarette smoke! Thank goodness that is no longer an issue. I enjoyed your post.
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mosbergerm
3/16/2022 04:02:38 pm
My students also think that the lounge is a magical place! It doesn't help that we got a popcorn machine and now they are CONVINCED that we just have unlimited snacks.
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AuthorHeidi. Archives
March 2022
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