Sitting in the teachers' lounge today reminded me of why I seldom go to this pseudo-sanctuary of frayed nerves, tears, and high drama.
Simply, within two seconds, I was verbally accosted as to my feelings on former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee as being the Republican presidential nominee.
Firstly, I have no positive feelings on the subject. He is a Republican, which pretty much sums up my feelings for him. However, being the nice guy I am (Ha! Ha!) and wishing to utilize my own political savvy, I put on an extra layer of charm, and said the nicest thing I know about Governor Huckabee: "He sure did lose a lot of weight!"
I had two choices in that moment. I could have shown my true political color and been skinned alive by my colleagues for being a godless liberal, but instead I chose to steer the conversation away from politics altogether, which is safest in my field of work.
It's funny, because within two seconds the conversation was on a benign topic: weight loss.
In a moment of severe randomness, though, a female teacher piped in that she thought a woman should never be president. If I hadn't put up with burgeoning hormones all morning, I might have had some strong words to say on that subject. I can tolerate many things, but pure ignorance is not something I can usually grin and bear. There is absolutely no basis to say that a woman cannot be president of the United States.
I wanted to ask, if you think a woman's place is in the proverbial kitchen, barefoot and pregnant, why do you bother to work, much less vote? Some people are so uncouth. I'm going to get her a Hillary '08 bumper sticker for Christmas. It might do her some good!
On a lighter note, during my walk back to the classroom, I had one of my students walk with me. Our conversation was rather interesting. He wanted to know what I thought of his outfit, which included a purple button down shirt and rather smart black, leather jacket with the collar popped. He said that it was "a casual look." I told him that I thought he looked quite dapper, considering he was dressed quite unusually for a boy of his age. Then, in a classic middle school mindset, he blurts out, "I heard some kids say you're queer!"
I simply looked ahead, not acknowledging what he said; then he repeated himself, a bit more loudly. He was quite serious--and persistent. His expression was rather nonchalant. It was as if he just told me he enjoyed my apple pie, and then he was requesting a copy of my recipe. I glanced at him and said, "You should tell people in the hallway to mind their own business."
Although, it was interesting, it is an all too common question for me. I think I am going to have some business cards printed.
2 comments:
As a teacher, how do you address something like that? Is it disconcerting at all? If I were in your position, I'd be quite flustered if some of the children were saying that about me (although it is the truth).
It is very disconcerting at times. In fact, I simply ignore many things I see and hear. It is best that way. I have always heard that you must choose the battles that you fight, instead of fighting every battle that crosses your path.
I believe that more kids will learn from example than words! I try to be a good example.
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