The Faculty Lounge

by Jennifer Mathieu

“Also, would I be an asshole if I explained to our principal that he should have used a semicolon before the word however?”

A person could color-code and list and organize, but in the end, life sometimes just happened to you.

Ms. Jackson had sometimes wondered if hedge fund managers and attorneys sat around in meetings being asked to draw a colorful picture that represented the group’s consensus or to post clarifying follow-up questions on a piece of chart paper labeled parking lot so that these things could be considered later.

“I know I want to die right now,” said Ms. Brennan to Mr. Williams. “Write that down.” “And I want to know how to die,” Mr. Williams responded quietly, “right here in this library, so we don’t have to sit through any more of this shit.” “After you do it, I will learn how to do it, too,” finished Ms. Fletcher dryly, completing the joke.

she was the sort of district employee who found value not in her work but in glowing reports about her work.

we can only focus on what we can do in the moment. We can only focus on the next good choice.

We cannot control other people or their behavior. We can only try to do the next right thing.

I have to say You make me laugh every day You’re so funny to me In my pants I will pee