I Ask You: How long will these recurring dreams last?

I retired from teaching almost eight years ago but I haven’t left the job behind - entirely.

Every month or so I will dream about being back at school, in the classroom, and my time in front of the class is never pleasant - though I handled things well for most of my career.

This morning’s dream went a bit like this (all in the miracle of technicolour):

I saw myself wake up, I felt very hot, I peeled off several layers of damp pajamas and socks, and desired a refreshing bath.

My sister was in the bathroom (it was the one in my childhood home in Norwich) so I went outside to the backyard (again, behind my childhood home) and ran water into a clawfoot tub in the garden.

My son (though 39 now, he looked about six-years old) joined me in the tub but neighbours kept dropping by the yard so we couldn’t wash up properly.


["Good grief. And why take a bath in the yard?"]

We tried moving the tub to more private spots in the yard but people kept finding us.

When I looked at my watch (I think that’s all I was wearing) it read 9:00 a.m.

Yipes. I was going to be late for class. So I ran to school very quickly.

Up and down stairways and hallways I ran, in a right state, looking for my classroom. Students were everywhere so I knew I’d better hurry or else my own class would be ripping the ceiling off the room.

I finally found my class. Students were already sitting at their desks with their books out but I had no lessons prepared. In fact, I didn’t have a clue what to do, as in many earlier dreams.

Three students were known trouble-makers and had teachers-aides with them but I had no plans worked out for any of them. (One of the aides was a TV character, a woman who works at Under World on Coronation St. She yawned when I looked at her. More trouble).

Thank goodness I woke up at about that time.

As I shuffled to the bathroom, not feeling overly hot or at all damp or stressed out about life, I wondered how many more years will have to pass before my teaching career is out of my system.

I ask you: Do dreams about the workplace follow us forever?

***

I can understand why the girl from C St. ended up in my class. She’s a bit of a busy body.

But why do I get all the trouble makers?

And no time to bathe?

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