I'm On Duty

Last night, a friend called and asked me to go out. Unfortunately, I had to turn her down.

"Why?" she asked.

"I'm on duty this week," I said.

She was dumbfounded.

I understand. "I am on duty" doesn't say very much.

What that one sentence doesn't convey is the burden of resposibility, the stress, the long hours, the toil, the heartache.

Being on duty at school is stressful. It is my responsibility to ensure that the school runs in an orderly manner. With me is a group of teachers, and I divide them up to take charge of certain responsibilities throughout the day. Part of what I do is to monitor them.

On the weeks that I am on duty, I wake up at 4.30 a.m. to get ready, and by 5.30 a.m., I'm off to school. I am there before 6.00 a.m. I unlock the doors to the staff room and the office. I await for the students to arrive. I stand watch as they settle down before the morning roll call.

I supervise the morning roll call, making sure that the teachers take the attendance and address all discipline problems. I ensure that all disciplinary actions are meted out.

I make my rounds from class to class, to ensure that the teachers go into their respective classes on time. I also check that all classrooms are clean, taking the necessary actions if they fail to meet the cleanliness standard set by the school.

What else do I do? I organise spot checks, and carry them out with the help of the school prefects. I take care of the students who fall ill, making sure that they complete the necessary paper work before they are taken home. I supervise recess, making sure the students do not hang out at prohibited areas around the school. I ensure that the canteen is cleaned up properly after recess. Now being exam season, I also make sure the examination is carried out on time. At the end of the day, I make sure that the students are sent off properly.

On top of all those responsibilities, I am still expected to teach. I am expected to deliver a good lesson.

Anything that crops up this week is a responsibility of mine. The whole school is placed on my shoulders this week. How can I not feel stressed?

To add to that, not every student is an angel. Not every teacher is compliant. There are all sorts of characters to put up with. At the end of each day, I am physically, emotionally, and mentally drained. I need an early night and a good night's rest before another challenging day begins.