Corner View and Imperfect Prose: TIME

This poster hangs on the wall in the classroom next to mine.

I thought it was an appropriate beginning

for a post on time,

which is this week's theme for Corner View.

Yesterday I snapped pictures of watches

worn by diverse people at my high school.

Only two adults under 40 were wearing a watch.

I could not find a student who had one on as

cell phones are the young generation's watches.

(Of course I didn't check all 400 students!)

Here is what I found on adults' arms:

This watch and arm belong to one of our two history teachers.

He is a big man with a huge personality.

I think his watch reflects that.

Our special-ed man teacher proudly informed me

that he'd bought this watch at Wal-mart

fifteen years ago.

He had only replaced the battery twice

and the band once.

I was duly impressed.

(The 'mark' on the face is a glare, not a scratch).

The man science teacher took his off and laid it down

on his lab counter,

enabling me to easily photograph it.

He's the mild-mannered old-fashioned gentlemen

who rarely speaks at our teacher meetings.

When he does, we all listen.

The following are the most feminine

of the women teachers' watches.

Just as the above watch is blurry around the edges,

this  next one can't be seen clearly for the glare.

Often times we  lose time because of distractions

that come in many forms. 

\

Here time is non-existent.

When time ceases to be a consideration

for whatever reason

good or bad

we tend to remember

the moments experienced.

This is mine.

I had a student photograph it

while we were in the library--

a fitting spot

for an English teacher's watch picture,

don't you think?!

It does not clasp;

instead there is a hinge that opens and shuts it.

I do not like elastic-type bands---they pinch.

My arthritis makes a clasp or a buckle difficult.

So I keep to this type.

I'm hard on watches--banging and scraping them;

You can see some scratches on this one.

The orange band represents a day when time on earth

stopped for a much loved student

who lit up the halls and faces of staff and students alike.

Lexie wrecked on her way to school on a cold February day.

My band says Lexie Bender 1993--2010

(it's unintentionally turned inside out).

These orange bands are faithfully worn by many

proclaiming that Lexie's TIME among us

will NOT BE FORGOTTEN.

Next:

This 'cool' watch belongs to a good friend of mine.

I had slipped quietly into her room to snap a pic of her aide's watch.

T. was busy illustrating her lesson on her smart board.

She teaches the extremely low functioning students.

She also has those with behavior issues such as extreme anger.

(The aide is there for the autistic boy whose last year in public education

ends May 27th.)

As I was exiting the room, T. shifted positions

stretching her arm out to me,

not pausing even the tiniest bit in her explanation.

She is funny, upbeat, energetic, and extremely caring.

She truly puts the students' needs first and is definitely on my wave length. 

This one is on the arm of the young student teacher

for the female science teacher.

She was packing her bag on the lab/desk cluttered with the day's work.

I didn't crop the photo because I thought the bits and pieces

hinted at her harried life.

Last is the custodian's watch. 

He keeps it in his pocket, but gladly displayed it for me.

He can easily attach this to his jeans

or stuff it in a pocket out of harm's way.

He also raises cattle, so this method makes sense

for that job as well.

To wrap up:

The time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time.”

                                                                Bertrand Russell
                                             (English Logician and Philosopher 1872-1970)


We all have our time machines.
Some take us back, they're called memories.
Some take us forward, they're called dreams.”

Jeremy Irons  (British Actor, b.1948)


“The time is always right to do what is right.”

Martin Luther King, Jr.  (American Baptist Minister and Civil-Rights Leader. 1929-1968)

Time is the coin of your life. It is the only coin you have,
and only you can determine how it will be spent.
 Be careful lest you let other people spend it for you.
~Carl Sandburg



                                                         Then:
                                                       To every thing there is a season,

and a time to every purpose

under the heaven:

A time to be born,

and a time to die;

a time to plant,

and a time to pluck up

 that which is planted;

A time to kill,

and a time to heal;

a time to break down,

and time to build up;

A time to weep,

and a time to laugh;

a time to mourn,

and a time to dance;

A time to cast away stones,

and a time to gather stones together;

a time to embrace,

and a time to refrain from embracing;

A time to get,

and a time to lose;

a time to keep,

and a time to cast away;

A time to rend,

and a time to sew;

a time to keep silence,

and a time to speak;

A time to love,

and a time to hate;

a time of war, and a time of peace.

Ecclesiastes 3: 1 - 8

Joining Francesca for Corner View on Wednesdays

and Emily for Imperfect Prose on Thursdays