Current/Recent Reading List

08 September 2006

Let's Do Lunch

Every teacher at our school has full lunchroom duty for a week at a time, every five or six weeks. I actually enjoy this time, because it’s fun to just socialize with the kids and loosen up a bit. What was impressive from this past week was that Principal Goldberg was in the lunch room every day, doing nothing but sitting and talking to kids. In just two short weeks, I’m getting the feeling that he’s going to be the best principal I’ve worked under so far. He did, by the way, acknowledge that he wants to be superintendent one day; yet, I’m not finding him scary. Ain’t pleasant surprises grand?

He’s also, according to teeny-boppers ages 14-17, cute, hot, fine, and hunky. One little girl who so obviously has a crush on the principal, and whose life is apparently an open book, told him all the girls thought he was hot, but they also heard (disappointingly) that his wife was hot. She also told us that her mom used to do crack, and that she wished America would adopt the Saudi methods of criminal punishment. All righty, then.

Then there is this snippet from a conversation with a former student who, as a sophomore, knew she was engaged (yikes!) but kept asking me to pronounce that word for her. “You know, that word for when you’re gettin’ married to somebody.” “You mean fiance?” “Yeah, that’s it. But he can’t drive right now because they took his license after he got a DUI.”) Anyway, from this week:

Me: Hey, A-----. How’s it going?

A----: Fine.

Me: When is your English class, this semester or next?

A: Now, but this is only the second day I’ve been in there.

Me: You’ve been sick?

A: Yeah.

Me: What, some kind of stomach thing?

A: I’m pregnant.

Me: A-----! How far along are you?

A: 8-10 weeks.

Me: Well, how are you going to manage?

A: We’re getting married next weekend. My mama’s gonna home school me until she moves to New York next year. Then I’ll probably have to come back here to finish up, or something.

It was only 18 years ago, but somehow I don’t imagine this conversation took place at my high school during my tenure there. Ever.

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