Hustled

By Kalpana Manimohan

“Be a teacher, it’s a calling,” they said.

“It will be fulfilling, trust me,” they muscled.

“Make a difference,” they got in my head.

I think I have been majorly hustled!

Eight alarm timings at 5-minute intervals

Buzzing to get me out of bed

Finally I am up, LATE,

Debating taking an MC in my head

Then I think of assigning work to my class

Having to trouble 4 different colleagues

I decide it is easier to just got to school

Despite all my fatigues!

I get some coffee, so I don’t lose my sanity

I see 7 emails to reply before seven

Coffee has to wait, it’s time to save humanity

Step into class, “It’s time for nouns!”

“Teacher, he touched my things!” 

Comes the first of a million complaints,

My head pounds!

Attendance to be taken, MCs to collect

Temperature to be recorded

Consent forms and name list to be checked

School magazine bought, money to count

Check the schedule for the photo taking

Dismissal, recess, other duties are paramount

With a 20 minute window of a break

Desperate to pee

Along comes a little person crying like a banshee!

That took all of 18 minutes, leaving me with 2

Enough to grab the books, rush to class

Toilet will have to wait till I almost turn blue

Starting on percentages, there is a fight

I jump in before someone loses an eye

25 minutes gone and still no percentage

An announcement for 3 kids to go see the dentist

Last 15 minutes, some teaching happens

Homework is given and yesterday’s collected

Re re re corrections is marked, water drunk by the gallons

Toilet finally, Such a relief!

No time for lunch, meeting that aren’t brief

Pour out that untouched coffee

Pack the marking like a sheaf

12 hours later, it’s time for home

A meal of luncher, start of teacher syndrome

Marking to do, corrections to clear

That brown thing on the worksheet is just queer

Finally some rest, debating to take an MC

But we still go on, planning lessons in the head

Exhausted from 236 roles

Big responsibilities to steer kids towards their goals

“Be a teacher, it’s a calling,” they said.

“It will be fulfilling, trust me,” they muscled.

“Make a difference,” they got in my head.

I think I have been majorly hustled!

By Kalpana Manimohan