Laughter

Last night I attended the end of the year bash for the teachers at "my" junior high. I caught up with the few young teachers that I still know, then retreated to a table with my retired and soon-to-be retired friends. The next two hours were spent laughing.

Middle school teachers are a breed unto themselves. No one else really understands what it is like to spend a lifetime with twelve and thirteen year olds. No one else really gets the bizarre sense of humor that develops in career middle school teachers, but there at our corner table last night we were able to be our totally wacky selves. It was delightful!

As we reminisced and laughed, we were reminded by our not-yet-retired friends that the teaching world no longer allows for much laughter. Teachers are worried for their jobs. Teachers are being told that they are the cause of all the problems in education. Teachers spend their lunch hours eating at their desk while they tutor students. They attend hundreds of meetings each year. They are strongly discouraged from setting foot in the teachers' lounge during a prep period...even if their classroom is being used by another teacher!

They don't get to laugh.

At both of "my" junior highs, teachers worked hard. They came early, stayed late, and brought work home and they were there for the kids...but it was also OK to eat lunch with colleagues and it was OK to spend a few minutes of a prep period chatting with colleagues. The sharing of stories and the laughter is what got us through the occasional bizarreness of our environment. No one ever criticized us for the occasional silly prank. And, guess what? Morale was high. People liked coming to school. Good things happened.

I'm glad to be retired. I enjoy my freedom and new opportunities, but I do miss that collegial laughter!