I feel like a fly on the wall

With my only class ending at 8:30 in the morning I was prepared to get caught up on e-mails, lesson planning and of course marking but that wasn’t the case. Today the office was a buzz of activity and I just sat at my desk, red pen in hand, headphones on, trying to drown out the noise. Heated Chinese conversations grew louder and louder. Why weren’t the teachers in their classrooms giving a lesson. Each teacher that would enter the office would glance at the bulletin board, mumble a few words and then join in on the conversation adding their two bits worth. All around me conversations are flying back and forth. One lady even leaves the office closing the door rather hard. Clearly this would not be the moment to crack a joke because I am sure that they wouldn't’ even notice. Somehow the 8 1/2 by 11 piece of paper that is pinned to the bulletin board under the important notices for teachers has caused quite the commotion. Giving up on marking I put my red pen down and riffle through my papers to find the computer mouse. After a couple clicks of the mouse, start, applications, games, I find the brain numbing game mindsweeper. I bet I could play this for the next hour and they would still be in their heated discussion and not even notice me, but I didn’t, just enough to get board of it and continue marking.
Later I find out that the teachers discussing how unfairly they are being treated because the have to work the next 19 days straight without any weekends off. The University Exams are being held next week which means that this weekend will be replaced by Wednesday and Thursdays classes and next weekend the monthly exams for the senior ones and twos. Every teacher will be expected to give their regular lessons during the weekends as well as observe the students during the exams. In compensation for their extra work, 60RMB for each exam day, $10 dollars Canadian per day. I think I would be a little miffed too.