The schools are out for Easter break (Yea, yea….I know it’s officially “Spring Break” but I don’t have to be all PC, do I?).
Life is good if I can forget that yesterday I depleted the bank accounts to send it all to the state and federal governments to waste on more government pork. No school means no pay this week. It also means no interesting classroom observations and/or shenanigans to relate here.
Or so I thought…
Warm spring weather has finally arrived. I took a walk down to the neighborhood McLibrary to satisfy my diet coke habit for an hour or so and read the latest techno thriller that Tom Clancy takes credit for but didn’t actually write.
I’m settled in, inhaling my fourth free refill, catching up on the latest plotline of the “Netforce” when I’m distracted by a couple of boys across the restaurant pointing, waving and calling out “Hi! Mr. Homework!!”
While they do look familiar, I haven’t a clue what their names are, what grade or even what school they are from.
I’ve been “sighted” out of class by random students. I respond with a friendly wave and a generic “Hi guys!” response.
Sad but true but out of the classroom context they all look alike to me…
2 comments:
I used to get recognized all the time when I was subbing. The sad part was that I subbed in three different districts so it didn't matter which area of town I chose to shop/do errands/lunch in, I'd end up running into SOMEONE!
The worst?
I got in line at the check-out at Sam's Club behind what looked like a woman by herself. Minutes later, an 8th grader I'd taught for half a year wandered up with something to add to the cart. I pretended to busy by myself digging in my purse in the hopes the student wouldn't recognize me.
Minutes later, I hear, "Ms. D?" I look up and smile. We chat for a minute. She tells me how she liked it when I was teaching better (they'd only been with their permanent teacher for three weeks at this point) and then she talked about what some of the other kids were up to. At this point, I was hoping against hope they wouldn't peek in my cart, as all I had chosen to purchase was a case of beer and a ginormous box of tampons.
Finally, it was their turn to check out and I was saved, but not before I caught the student casting a glance in my cart. I'm convinced that on someone's MySpace page it says, "Ms. D is a total lush who is always on the rag!"
I totally understand! Everytime I see a faintly familiar child, I smile and twang "Hey, Honey!". They're all named 'Honey' in my head. Life's just easier that way :)
Post a Comment