Get out of my way… Seriously though. Move.
I’m finding I’m having a hard time the last couple of weeks with people who are oblivious (or more likely, don’t care) to where their bodies are in space and time. For example, stopping in the middle of the subway stairs to check your phone one last time before you decent into the madness that is the MTA. By all means, please do you. But do you to the side of the entrance to the subway. Don’t make me miss my train. I got places to be.
To the person who has heard me say excuse me and still stands directly in front of me. To the throngs of tourists who walk holding hands three across on a busy sidewalk. To the people who stop in the middle of the sidewalk to chat, take a picture, check their phones, sneeze. To the staff members who stand in the middle of the hall and let our students wander everywhere in front of my principal who has just finished saying, “please get out of the way”.
OPEN YOUR EYES! BE MORE AWARE!
This even goes to extend to the point of being able to read an environment. If the room feels weird, if you have a sense that the students are off, if you have hard evidence of the students being off (screaming, punching their bag, etc) – (also sidebar: if you teach in SPED long enough, you can feel a room out quickly and effectively) – maybe you shouldn’t been hollering or singing or talking loudly. Maybe…
This is a silly little post but it’s been bothering me. Perhaps it’s because I’m SO aware of where my body is at all times. I’m also a traveler so I know what it’s like to be engaged in my surroundings so entirely. But (maybe because I’ve been a NYer for several years now) I also realize that people live wherever I am traveling and they have places to go and things to do. I ALWAYS move over and out of the way to check my phone, take a picture, double check a map. Maybe it’s because I’m so hyper aware that people who aren’t just drive me batty.
Anyways, it’s a silly little thing I just needed to put out there.
whatwillyoufallfor 