Tue. Mar 19th, 2024

TL;DR – They say there are hidden benefits that come with being a teacher.

How do you usually spend your Friday nights?

Partying? Reading? Catching up on your favourite shows on Netflix?

Well, for one particular teacher in Singapore, it involved falling asleep on a yoga mat in his living room while struggling to stay awake to spend time with his wife.

His wife, Facebook user Mindy Tan, then goes on to explain how her husband ended up being so exhausted from pizzas and a farewell party.

If you can’t read the heartfelt message above, here’s what it says:

“I’m exhausted,” he explains apologetically, as I try to get him to get up from the yoga mat on our living room floor and move into the bedroom instead. He’s been nodding off in front of Netflix since 9.15pm, struggling to keep awake so we can spend time together.

“The Drama CCA kids were having a farewell for their Sec 4s today and I had to stay back for their send-off. They didn’t manage to finish all the sixteen pizzas I bought.” I ask him how much pizza was left and he says, “About one whole pizza?” I point out that next time he probably could buy one less, and he shrugs and says, “Well, it was 1-for-1.”

Surely a farewell party couldn’t have been THAT tiring. “Before that I had a whole day of back-to-back lessons and I was running here and there to settle all the prep for the Drama kids too.”

On a regular weekday, Brennan can clock 20,000 steps on his step tracker, just from running around school and conducting lessons. On a regular weekend, he clocks mileage in red ink, checking and marking assignment after assignment.

I ask if someone’s going to reimburse him for the sixteen pizzas that he paid for out of his own pocket. “Nah,” he says. “Because apparently teachers have so many hidden benefits, right? That’s why even parking also must pay.” He smiles impishly.

It’s 9.45pm on a Friday night and my husband is asleep, not because he doesn’t want to keep me company, but because he’s completely out of energy.

And perhaps the most important line is the concluding sentence,

They say there are hidden benefits that come with being a teacher, but really, all I see are costs.

By Zahra