So I teach seventh grade math for a living. I used to use seventh grade math when I was working as a stone mason and a stone mason's laborer from 2000-2005. Here are the top five things I miss about working construction:
1. Talking about music with my co-workers. This often involved top-five lists (which I love), discussions about who is the greatest guitarist (vocalist, frontman, bassist, lead guitarist, rhythm guitarist, etc.), favorite album of each decade, and so on. I talk about music as much as possible with my classes, but it is just not the same.
2. The physical nature of the work. This at times was a negative, but at times it felt good to be working hard physically. I don't sweat when I am teaching, and I don't have the same back strength that I had 2 years ago. That's a damn shame.
3. I miss the hours. I would get to the jobsite at 7am, we have a 15-20 minute break at 10am, we eat lunch for 45 minutes to an hour at noon, and off at 3:30. Like clockwork. Teaching, I show up at 7am, eat lunch for about 25 minutes at 11am, and leave around 4 pm. Don't get me started about the lack of bathroom breaks.
4. Bathroom breaks. Whenever you wanted. Of course the honey buckets were disgusting. I cannot believe this is #4. Probably part of why I am glad I quit.
5. The inside jokes and nicknames. Shafe, Deuce, Little Nick, Garcon, Keck me in the Shimmy. "What do you know about reality?", "Was he eating a banana?", money in the kitty, Seibert sighting, old Indian trick, "That's what they're gonna get", stacking phonebooks, "Well, at any rate", "Can I s*** in your bucket?", "Play with more feeling", Nathan-voice, "Time and materials" as first words, etc. I will add more as I remember. I know that these don't mean much to those who read them, but trust me, they are hilarious.
Oh yeah, top five things I don't miss:
1. Rich homeowners.
2. Working outside in the rain, hot sun, or in the really cold.
3. The backaches, fingeraches, armaches, legaches.
4. Mortar dust, or the stone dust from cutting with a grinder. Filthy.
5. Architects. Not you Ginj, but the rest of them.
Overall I am ecstatic that I quit my job, got my master's degree, and started teaching. Today I yelled too much and my throat hurts; but I laughed a lot, saw 5 students lip synch The Spice Girls during the auditions for the upcoming talent show, and I got 130 kids to rub a piece of purple paper and smell it because I told them it would smell like grape. I also put a picture of Built to Spill on their assignment sheet, and offered a prize to the first student who tells me who they are. It is weird, when I was working construction I felt like I was aging faster than time was moving. When I spend my days with 13 year olds, I don't think I am aging as quickly. I think it will make me a better person, husband, parent, and uncle. That probably makes up for the short lunch.
4 comments:
Hey, should I bring anything over on Sunday?
Why don't you bring your beverage of choice, and maybe your guitar if the game is boring. We will provide snacks. Hell, maybe even dinner.
Today we are having an assembly, and there is going to be a teacher vs. students basketball game. Keep your fingers crossed I don't use profanity during the game.
Can you envision a situation where you would have cause to say: "General Petraeus, I think I know what love is."?
I bought the special edition of Wowee Zowee the other day and Malkmus's notes mention how hard he screams on he song "Half a Canyon": "(shades of Abreu after the 2005 HR derby)".
Post a Comment