HERO’S JOURNEY

I. Ordinary World

8:00 am: I hear a knock, knock, knock at the classroom door. I look up from the computer and see two smiling faces and waving hands through the skinny glass window… so cute! I leave my teacher desk chores and open the door…

Me: Hi, Girls! What’s up?

Students: Ms. Callahan, can we help you? It’s so boring out here!

Me: Well, if you really want to…..

Students: YES!

They scurry in, dumping their overloaded backpacks on the floor near the door and tackle the task of dismounting 36 chairs from the art tables. I start filling two 5 gallon buckets with water from the small sink near the door. The quiet room is now filled with cheerful chatting and bouncing chair legs hitting the concrete floor.

8:25 am: Knocking at the door; Student #1 runs to open it an in walk her glowing parents (they have halos surrounding them, no kidding), smiling and looking around the room.

Me: Oh my goodness! I am so happy to see you! I can’t thank you enough for volunteering today! I brought some coffee and doughnuts...please, help yourself.

They follow me to the clay closet. I give them an abridged tour and demonstration of the tools and work needed to prepare clay for 180 students. They get to work immediately, like a well-oiled machine...YOWZA!

I hear the first bell, it’s 8:52 am. I say goodbye to the girls, peek out the door at the crowds of students heading to 1st period, watch and wave for a few minutes, then rush back to the teacher desk to complete set-up chores: turn on the overhead projector; test the powerpoint and video demonstration I recorded (last night?), check my email, then second bell rings (8:56 am) and morning announcements begin over the intercom. 48 minutes until the next bell and 2nd period, when the class crowds begin the daily rush. How lucky am I to have 1st period planning? VERY, says the Art Teacher to herself.

3:30 pm:

Me: Clean up!

Students: Clean up!

All: Everybody CLEAN UP!

Moaning, questions galore, bustling of bodies and banging of chairs ensue. Art Projects get wrapped and stored, tables get tidied and wiped down with big colorful car wash sponges; chairs get plopped on top of tables (lots of dirt and debris for the trusty custodial crew to sweep), 5 gallon buckets get taken outside and dumped, watering the dry Florida grass….

Intercom: Good Afternoon, Hurricanes...here are the buses on the loop….

3:41 pm: Bell rings I rush to the door.

Me: Bye, everyone! See you, tomorrow!

Back to the teacher desk for more chores and gathering of papers for an after school meeting.

4:30 pm: Keys jangling at the classroom door and in walks Ms. Woods! Yay!

Me: Ms. Woods! Hope Bus Duty was uneventful today!

We laugh and head to our work-table. I’ve been prepping since August and Winter Break is 3 weeks away. I’m not returning after the break/holiday … and Ms. Woods is going to mentor the Substitute Art Teacher next semester.

I found out in July the cancer had returned and metastisized. While the doctors wanted me to stop working and start treatments immediately, I told them I was working the Fall Semester to get everything ready for the Art Sub and new groups of students. Like a good girl scout, I was going to leave things better! The classroom was labeled, organized, and I had the semester outlined and specific plans for the first two weeks written and worksheets printed. Ms. Woods said it all looked good and left with a hug.

5:30 pm: another knocking at the class door. Yay! It’s my wonderful boyfriend, Toby! He’s here to load up my boxes of personal stuff to take home. I don’t know when I’ll return, but it won’t be before Summer Break. The classroom belongs to another teacher in a few short weeks.

II. Call to Adventure

(5 days since Winter Break began / my last day teaching)

Toby's on a gig, so it's late. I’m carrying my bowl of Progresso Cream of Mushroom soup in my left hand and it just falls on the floor, like my left hand stopped working. My feet continue walking and my left foot slides in the soup on the tile floor and I am down on my back; kinda like the way Charlie Brown falls when Lucy takes the football away from his kick. I must have hit my head, because there is blood when I touch it and I see some blood in the spilled soup that’s on the floor around me.

What a mess! I pick up the bowl shards, wipe up the spilled soup, then wipe the floor with wet towels. Dammit. Toby is gonna be pissed because I drank wine and fell down. I walk to the bathroom, run a bath, undress, get cleaned up and get in my big comfy bed. Ahhh.

When I awake the next morning, I tell Toby I don’t feel right and don’t think I can make it to the Miller Christmas Celebration that afternoon. I know Toby called his mom, Rosemary...I don’t remember much else until I woke up in a hospital bed with doctors standing around me.

I remember the doctors introducing themselves and asking questions. I significantly recall one of the doctors telling me I was lucky not to be on breathing and feeding tubes. There is a tumor on my brain stem. Did I sleep through an MRI? When can I get out of here and go home?

Start Your Memoir

14 de out. - 11 de nov.

Start Your Memoir

14 de out. - 11 de nov.