Bmeandering

Bmeandering

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

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






























16 comments:

  1. This was a lovely post. You obviously put a LOT of work into it! It was interesting seeing people's watches, like seeing a little glimpse of their personalities. (You have pretty hands, by the way.) I like all the quotes at the end, too.

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  2. Hi Beth, Great post today on TIME.... I enjoyed seeing all of the different watches. I used to wear a watch --but don't anymore. In fact, I wear very little jewelry anymore...

    One thing I know about TIME now is that I never have enough of it... You'd think --since I am retired-- that I'd have plenty of time these days. HA---never!!!! I need MORE of it... Got any extra for me?????? ha

    Hugs,
    Betsy

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  3. if i'd been sitting under that poster of wasted time all of a school year, i'd been paralyzed for life... auch!
    i'd rather enjoy the wasting, like russell.
    in fact, that's what i do. ALL of the time... ;)
    n♥

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  4. Very interesting post Beth. I love how you told something about each person through their watches. I'm sorry about the student whose time stopped so early in life.

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  5. ha ha. so, you've been stalking all your colleagues for this, then ;)

    I have started wearing a watch again. I hated having to look at my mobile phone all the time plus I used to love watches back in the day. beautiful pieces of impossible magic dictating our lives.

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  6. No watches here, but I do love them on other peoples wrists. Gives me a perfect excuse to walk up to them and chitchat ;-) (Perhaps in time, I will learn to do that without an excuse)

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  7. Such an interesting post on TIME featuring your colleagues' watches and personalities etc.
    In retirement, it's good not to have to meet deadlines, but I guess I still have to use time wisely. I hope you enjoy your time this coming weekend.

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  8. I have to confess, I have a watch but never wear it :)

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  9. Good post- a person's watch does usually reflect his or her personality.

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  10. I had read about watches not being worn as much due to the new technology of cell phones and ipods, interesting. Great pictures and stories, thanks for sharing. May you have a blessed week.

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  11. wow, woman! this is a fun post. i enjoyed the bit about all the watches and their owners quite a bit.

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  12. i want a cell phone i can wear on my wrist ;-)

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  13. Fun post. I liked the comparison of the watches to their owners and I really liked the quotes at the end, especially the Bertrand Russel and Jeremy Irons quotes.

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  14. wow, so unique! i love this, beth. i love that you took the TIME :) to photograph and to describe the wearers of these watches... i will always remember a lady i saw on the bus who wore a dozen watches and kept checking all of them, periodically. :) bless you sister.

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  15. A Wonderful Post, Beth!!! totally enjoyed it.
    I wear my watch at my waist...it's a pedometer :)

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  16. I really like all of the pictures you took and the stories that went with them. I've started wearing my watch again recently. It's silver with only two numbers on it. This watch is very precious to me as my husband gave it to me for the anniversary of our first month dating right before he went to Greece for a month. Although my watch is shiny, pretty and useful, I like it best because he gave it to me. :)

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