Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Maybe My Most Embarrassing Teaching Moment

Backstory: My children talk to me all day long. They just keep talking, all the time. So they're often talking to me when I'm focused on something else, so I find myself saying, "What, Sweetie?" a zillion times a day.

Story: So I was in class on Monday, passing back quizzes or distributing a handout, slightly preoccupied with my task, when off from my right side I hear someone say something or ask question, but I don't really process what was said. So, I say . . . (wait for it)

"What, Sweetie?"

Now, maybe this wouldn't be embarrassing or weird if I were about 65 and/or if my students were about seven, but since I'm 40 (ish), and since the student was a 20ish young man, I was mortified and felt as if I had just broken some kind of harrassment law.

He shrugged it off, rather unfazed, but I'm sure I turned a special shade of fuchsia. I apologized--over all of the giggling and guffawing--and explained my daily habit with the kids.

Amazingly, I was able to gather my wits and move on, with some degree of my dignity intact. But only barely, since I felt like everyone was looking at me, thinking I was some kind of frumpy Mrs. Robinson wannabe*.

*Well, at least that's what they would be thinking if they knew who Mrs. Robinson is.

8 comments:

Amstr said...

A friend (who may not even be 30 yet) just posted on fb that one of her high school students called her Mom today. I'm not sure which is worse . . .

I'm sure you handled it with grace.

Anonymous said...

GEW, I could. not. help. myself.
*ass wiggles with teenage ambition*
jc


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wlTvWvfEMxE

Ink said...

LOL! Don't feel bad...I did that once (though it was "hon" instead of "sweetie"). Also had to explain, with red face. Occupational hazard!

TKW said...

I love it! You probably made his day.

Good Enough Woman said...

Amstr, Oh wow. That would be tough, esp. if was from my 20-somethings.

jc, Dude. I am totally blown away that *that* is what came to mind for you. You MUST have graduated from high school around the same time I did. And, yes, "incidents arose from circumstance"! I can explain!

Ink, Now that it's happened, I'm surprised it hasn't happened before!

TKW, At least he has a good story to tell. And when it tells it, he can do some verbal airbrushing and enhancing to make it sound even better.

This Ro(a)mantic Life said...

You know, for all the "I'm da man" coolness 20ish college guys like to exude, I'm sure the part of him that's still somebody's son totally warmed to the "What, Sweetie?"

(This is not to say you are old enough to be his mother, but perhaps you made him miss his just a little. That's not a bad thing.)

loveskidlit said...

Yep, been there! A student (male, of course) tripped over a chair. I blurted: Oh, honey! Are you okay?

And then we both turned shades of purple.

Ah well. It goes with the turf.

--ginger. said...

This is a deeply excellent story.