Books Are An Eyesore


During the cleaning-up activity in the teachers' staffroom last Saturday, the Principal of my school admonished the teachers for being inefficient:

" The staffroom is a place where teachers work. It should not be used as a storeroom. Having many books on your desk is an act of cluttering."

I raised my hand and said:" But we have gotten rid of many old books. The ones left on our desks are still needed for our everyday teaching."

The diminutive Principal threw me a look of disapproval and said," what you said is very wrong and not professional at all. Your role in school is to contribute your service, not to clutter."

A colleague indicated the propped-up books on his desk and asked: " Where should we keep our books then?"

In a sententious tone, the Principal said: " You should keep all your books at home. Bring only the ones that you need to school every day."

Another teacher asked: "Can you provide us with more cabinets to keep our books? There are only a few cabinets in the staffroom."

The Principal said gruffly: " If all of you had been well-organized, the cabinets would not have been packed with so many useless things!"

A teacher told a neighboring colleague under her breath: "But all the things inside are students' PMR and SPM projects. We can't possibly throw them away."

Looking around the staffroom with distaste, the principal resumed his carping: " Many of you like giving lame excuses. I do not want to see books on desks again by Monday. All of them should be thrown away."

A male teacher asked: " Can you give us a few more days to pack the books, sir?"

The Principal said, annoyed: " Do not procrastinate. Just throw the books as soon as you can."

A female teacher asked: " Can you order some new cabinets and shelves?"

The Principal said: " Just bring home all the books. Our school is situated along the sea. You can throw the extra into it!"

Every one was shocked by his last remark. I had a hard time suppressing an impulse to laugh.

Before the principal left the staffroom, he pointed his finger at random directions and said, " Remember, all the books on the desks must be cleared before Monday. They are an eyesore!"

The veteran teacher sitting beside me whispered to me: "Let him fart as much as he wants. I am not going to comply."

Comments

Pak Idrus said…
Hi there; you do have a great blog here. Have link it to my blog. As for Pokcik Hassan unable to post comment maybe he did not have a Gmail Account. Take care.
July 5, 2011 at 6:33 PM
sintaicharles said…
Thanks for visiting my page, Pak Idris.
I think it is blogger glitches that prevent Pakcik Hasson from posting comments. I faced that last month.
July 5, 2011 at 11:53 PM
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