time over

time over!

teacher time over!

at first, the unstudied inexperienced teacher, of course not me, ok, maybe me once-upon-a-not-so-long-ago time, will respond something like, "I decide when time is over, not you." standard fare. standard unproductive combative fare.

time over!

teacher time over!

as time moves on, the teacher will learn how to deal with this more-serious-than-it-seems pronouncement in different ways, learning and experimenting in the lab of the classroom.
usually in standard unproductive ways.

1. the interrogative. "do you have a watch? i don't see you wearing a watch. i have a watch, see? (teacher models timex indigo watch). when you get a watch, you can tell me time is over. until then i don't want to hear it."

2. the hopeless searching for a needle in a haystack.

teacher: who said that?! who said that?!

anonymous #1: time over!

teacher: time is not over. who said that?!

anonymous #2: time over!

[continue as needed.]

3. the hollow threat. "who said that? whoever said that is going to get it!" just what it is, of course, is never specified and equally unknown to the teacher and all those present in class, which makes it all the more tantalizingly hollow.

4. the plain, assertive, mouth-frothing-because-you're-dehydrated statement. "time is NOT over."

5. the teacher finally graduates to level of comrade. albeit lying comrade.

anonymous: time over!

teacher: *sigh* [pause. a falling of the hands. an honest serious naked look directed towards the class. an engagement that could never be achieved by words, understood or not. work is done. if needed can sprinkle on a little, "bear with me here." class on board.]

[teacher explains some inane topic or another to the students, who are not paying attention as much as they are not talking. the elimination of the latter certainly doesn't secure the former, unfortunately. fortunately, it helps save the teacher from total mental breakdown.]

now the lying begins.

teacher: just one more thing. [teacher proceeds to explain inane topics to the not paying attention not talking students].

teacher: just one more thing. [teacher proceeds to explain inane topics to the not paying attention not talking students].

one more thing turns to one more thing turns to one more thing until the dam breaks. and then your

time is over!

**

time over!

teacher time over!

my students' annoying false pronouncements, my lying promises of one more thing. seem so much bigger, so much more poignant to my sentimental ears, than the quarrel of authority vs. the masses in the classroom, now.
now that my days in eritrea are coming to a close.

the words strike and sit in my head like a bookend. a perfect self-contained goodbye that was always there and only noticed when the time was right.

time over! teacher time over!

yes, time is over. i'm outta here.

yes, time is over, but there's always the next class.

and this time the lesson won't be on repeat.