Cubicle Life

I did a friend a favor during this Christmas vacation and worked in an office for a few days. It was almost fun to act like an office worker; to work at a desk and feel like just a cog in a wheel.

There was a liberation in being at a desk instead of a classroom. I could go to the bathroom whenever I wanted, and I drank my tea while it was still hot. I ended up missing lunch because I was so occupied with what I was doing, and there were no bells to tell my stomach to start growling. I sat in a cubicle and listened in on phone conversations from the cubicles around me. I talked to adults all day. It was awesome.

I was doing relevant work which was the reason I was there, but I couldn’t help but feel that anyone could have done what I was doing. I was just the “hired hand.” When I’m in front of the classroom though, I feel significant. My job is truly making a difference. I have over thirty little faces looking up at me and my job seems so vital. I may be a cog in a different wheel, but I’m making a difference in lots of lives and I can see it right in front of me.

I did feel a degree of satisfaction living the cubicle life for a few days, but it doesn’t come close to how I feel when my students learn something new because of me.  That temporary life reminded me how important the life I’m already living is.