Through my tinted glasses

  Pete needs this stapled to his head

I am amazed by how irresponsible people get, or how they don’t think it’s so important to keep to time.

I was supposed to meet a group of Journaling Club students this afternoon at 2pm together with my colleague, Pete.

At 12.30pm, Pete suggested driving to Changi Village hawker centre with some other teachers to have lunch. We arrived there at 1pm and tucked into our food. It was an enjoyable lunch. We had chicken chop hor fun and yummy dessert, complete with good conversation and banana fritters.

Soon it was 1.40pm and I anxiously signalled to Pete that we should leave. It took another 15 minutes before the teachers could move their arses and walk to the car, and it was 2pm by this time. I kept reminding Pete that we should hurry.

In the car, Pete was singing along to his CD collection, and talking about songs he liked. I was having visions of students kept waiting outside the classroom and never wanting to come for another meeting again.

When we finally got back to school and ran to the classroom, it was 2.30pm. We were 30 minutes late. The students had all gone.

I was really irked by the fact that Pete didn’t feel the urgency to leave when I constantly reminded him nicely that we were very late.

He was a little apologetic, he said he hadn’t realised how late we were because he didn’t wear a watch. “Social lunches are long,” he sighed in such a pitiful, resigned manner. But what about my constant reminders? Maybe I wasn’t explicit enough? I should have shouted the time every few minutes?

When we locked up the classroom, he said that, knowing our kids, maybe none of them turned up. I wanted to kick his balls. He’s missing the point. So what if none of them turned up? The truth is we made a pact with them to meet at a certain time, and we had broken our promise.

We keep complaining about our kids being late and indifferent and here we are, more concerned about bloody chicken chop hor fun than keeping to schedule.

I’m sorry, call me anal, or uptight or whatever you like. But I think what happened today was extremely unprofessional. I am horrified that I did this. Because I pride myself on being reliable and trustworthy. I don’t really care if I teach in a lousy school. To me it does not mean I behave like my kids. We are supposed to have a positive influence on them for god’s sake.

I am disgusted and disappointed by Pete. I’m not trying to act all high and mighty or saying that I’m a saint and I never make mistakes. I am just so mad that Pete is so blind to his flaws and he has gotten his priorities all wrong. And I know while here I’m here fuming at my desk, Pete has probably forgotten about this and is thinking of what to eat for dinner.

Pete is an excellent friend to have. He showers us with gifts and sweet notes whenever we return from our holidays. But he is an awful colleague to have, and a poor team player in all aspects. He makes me feel like an awful naggy bitch who can’t relax when I work with him. Pete, if you can’t help me, try at least not to add to my problems.

Maybe I should just move to Germany. And stop having meaningless lunches with Pete.

p.s. I am in a really foul mood so if you are in a sarcastic, criticising mood, please look for someone else to arrow.

This entry was posted on May 25, 2007 at 7:36 am and is filed under Life, School. You can subscribe via RSS 2.0 feed to this post's comments. You can comment below, or link to this permanent URL from your own site.