This semester I have been more 'open' with my students about parts of my personal life...all that making a connection and shit. It's not like I ever lied about anything but my old students never seemed to ask questions about my personal life or were easily detoured when I changed the subject.
But this semester my students have been asking a lot of questions, sometimes I feel like they are interrogating me, so I have been sharing a bit more about me and the mister and our life.
And I have come to this conclusion:
my students are more concerned about my relationship than my family are.
Also the whole concept of 'you are in a relationship and an adult you must get married' never dies but that's a topic for another post.
Here are just a few conversations my students initiated over these past few weeks:
Female Student: Miss I need to ask you something personal.
Me: Yes.
Female Student: Are you married?
Me: No.
Female Student: Why not?
Me: Why do I need to get married?
Female Student: To change your last name.
Me: I don't want to change my last name.
Female Student: So you can get a dog or a cat or something.
Me: I don't like animals.
Female Student: So you can be happy or sad...or whatever.
Male Student: Do you have your man on check?
Me: No.
Male Student: Does he have you on check?
Me: No.
Male Student: But how does that work?
My students were talking to me about a male teacher they have this semester...
Female Student: He is thirty and has been with his girlfriend for two years so we told him...
Second Female Student: he better hurry up and put a ring on it.
Me: Gosh, two years...what must ya'll think about me.
Male Student: No Miss that's different...you're different.
Male Student: Are you and your boyfriend going to break up soon?
Me: No we have been together for 6 plus years, I think we are going to stick together.
Multiple Male Students: WHAT?
Male Student Kneels Down At My Desk: And why hasn't he done what I am doing now...
Me: That's just not something I want him to do.
Other Male Student: So you aren't that serious.
Me: No we are, we just not getting married anytime soon.
Male Student: Are you okay with that? You can talk to me.
This went on for over 10 minutes.
Male Student still down on his knee: Are you happy miss? Like really happy...because that's what I am worried about.
In my SEL class, the only group of students who have known me longer than two months, we have talked about my relationship and marriage many, many times so I thought they had buried this topic, until last week.
Female Student: Will you invite us to your wedding when you get married?
Me: I am not sure if I plan to have a wedding.
Second Female Student: No you have to, so we can come.
Third Female Student: Oh, we can be your bridesmaids.
Female Student: And we can twerk down the aisle....
Second Female Student: We would be so awesome...
And before I knew it I had three girls twerking in my classroom.
With conversations like these I am sure you are worried about where your tax dollars are going, but rest assured occasionally we do real class work...when my kids aren't concerned about marrying me off or my emotional happiness.
So the next time your mom or whoever is annoying you about when you are going to get married, just know I have 150+ hormonal teenagers bugging me about it. I win.
Today is officially my Friday, five day weekend here we come! As much as I enjoy my students I can tell you no one was happier when that bell rang today that I was.
Hope everyone is enjoying their Thanksgiving Break!
- The Babbling Box!
I don't know if this will make you feel any better, but I get grilled like this in elementary school also. Kindergarten was always the funniest. I'll never forget the first little girl's face when she was horrified to learn that I didn't have a button that I pushed for my bed to come out of the wall. She was convinced I lived in the classroom with my husband, children and pets(which I didn't have any of)...or the time on my first day of my internship in Kindergarten when a little boy rolled under my dress to ask me when my baby was going to be born. When I told him there was no baby in my belly, he wanted to know why not!? I feel it's only appropriate to set them straight right away about myself because it makes it less awkward in the long run. "My name is Ms. NOT Mrs. Please don't try to marry me off!" Happy 5 days off! You've earned it! :)
ReplyDeleteAlison
It's so sweet that your kids want to twerk down the aisle... In a slightly weird way. Have a great weekend!
ReplyDeleteI think it's sweet even though they're being intrusive and nosy about your personal life..! It shows that they care about you! But it would certainly make me squirm having all of their attention switched on me! Especially since they're all little teens that don't know too much about relationships and what they really, really mean.
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