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The Waking
I wake to sleep, and take my waking slow.
I feel my fate in what I cannot fear.
I learn by going where I cannot go.
We think by feeling. What is there to know?
I hear my being dance from ear to ear.
I wake to sleep, and take my waking slow.
Of those so close beside me, which are you?
God bless the Ground! I shall walk softly there,
And learn by going where I have to go.
Light takes the Tree, but who can tell us how?
The lowly worm climbs up a winding stair;
I wake to sleep, and take my waking slow.
Great Nature has another thing to do
To you and me; so take the lively air,
And, lovely, learn by going where to go.
This shaking keeps me steady. I should know.
What falls away is always. And is near.
I wake to sleep, and take my waking slow.
I learn by going where I have to go.
--Theodore Roethke
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Joy's Updates - Straight from the Horse's Mouth.
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Thursday, September 25, 2003
Hell Revisited
'All hope abandon ye who enter here'. Yes, Ol' Dante had it right! I'm just trying to figure out which Circle of Hell I'm in right now with these 9th graders. It's definitely a Circle of Hell-on-Earth, which is possibly different from the ones for all eternity. I'm not really sure how that works since I decided quite some time ago to believe in reincarnation instead. Some days I don't even want that to happen unless I can move on to a more civilized planet next time. But I digress. Here are some conversations with students during the last two days.
Before school ...
Me: What kind of drink did you have in my classroom yesterday?
Clueless Boy Student: Dr. Pepper
Me: Where did you get it?
CBS: The drink machine.
Me: Which one?
CBS: Uh, that one over there.
Me: Are you sure?
CBS: Yeah ... why?
Me: Because yesterday morning when I saw you running out of the social studies workroom which is off-limits to you, you acted guilty.
CBS: Uh .... what?
Me: One of the history teachers is missing about half of the case of Dr. Peppers he had in there. You looked suspicious. Did you take them?
CBS: No
Me: Before you make that your final answer, let me explain what could happen to you if you did it. We'll contact your parents, the principals, and the juvenile judge. If you tell me the truth, I might go easier on you, but if you are lying, and I find out - which I will - it will be much worse. So now, tell me; did you take them?
CBS: Why would I be in trouble for that?
Me: It's stealing. You don't think stealing is bad?
CBS: Well, OK. I did it. I took them. I didn't have any money and wanted them.
Me: Then you can do what the rest of us do when we don't have money and want something. You can do without.
CBS: Why were they in there anyway?
Me: That's not the point. The point is that they were not yours and you stole them and need to do something about it.
CBS: I can pay him for them.
Me: That would be a start.
CBS: You want me to apologize to him?
Me: That would help.
CBS: OK
Me: I'll talk to him and discuss what we need to do about this. What's your parents' phone number?
No remorse, no clue, nothing!!
During class ....
Pesty Male Student: What's your first name?
Other students: Joy. Her name is Joy. It's Joy.
PMS: How did you ever get to be called that?
Female Narcoleptic Student: I had the strangest dream while I was asleep in your class while ago.
Perhaps Dorothy Parker said it best, "What fresh hell is this?" An eternity of it would be redundant.
2:47:00 PM
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