Got into the office bright and early to prep for classes. It’s always a scramble in the mornings - PTIs and lecturers copying, planning, changing slides at the last minute, screaming at the old materials and how they’re insufficient or incorrect or just lacking in some way (the PTI office is full of perfectionists), or if you’re anything like me, throwing all lesson plans out the window and starting afresh with 49 minutes to class time. It dawned on me in that moment that - as my colleague ranted about the arbitrary value of teaching our ESL students content words like “tundra” and “biome” - that I needed to show her what I worked on last night.
I offered to which, she replied, “Can you show me within a minute? I want to see, but... I need to figure out what the hell a biome is so I can teach it today.”
A minute is worth it, I say to myself. It’s worth it because someone will have seen it. I scramble to show her on my phone, feeling the ticks go by. THERE, there it is, you see? I’m so proud. It’s gorgeous, isn’t it? They’re beautiful, right? All of this passes through my head in tenths of a second as I say absolutely nothing and wait.
She looks down and goes, “No... This deserves more than a minute. You worked hard on this, and I want to know all about it. I don’t have time right now, so show me again after classes today. But for now, biomes.”
Later, when we were settled back in the office, she asked to see it again, and I showed her this time on the computer. She was genuinely interested in each of the characters and asked specifically about the stories I’m writing.
Though I told her in person, I really have to state again:
Thank you so very much. You have no idea what your words meant to me.
