Friday, July 17, 2009

A Lasting Impression


Sometimes the impression I make on my students comes long after I was their teacher. Recently I asked a former student where he was going to school, and he informed me he had never gone to school and was working for his father; I felt a little bad for assuming (93% of our students do go to college), and making the situation a little embarrassing for him. So, at the dollar store, when I recognized a former student, but realized I had forgotten her name, I was planning on acting like I didn't remember her since Lib was the one buying stuff. The girl's name started with an "A" and she was a lot heavier; plus, I didn't want to ask her what she was up to because she was obviously working at the dollar store. So I decided to play dumb. Then, in a bizarre twist of fate, Lib handed me her stuff and a five spot, and said she was going next door to the market to get the fruit because she needed to get home to pee and doing so would save time. I still planned on ignoring the girl, but then I felt bad, so I said hi, and then she had a moment where she kind of remembered me, but not my name, and so when we got each other's name we asked each other how things were going, but not really having anything to say, the situation got so uncomfortable that I pointed to the famers market and said, "Well, I better go get her home to pee," and then I grabbed by flowery notebook, tart pan, and pastry cutter and walked out.

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