I may have taken the joke too far by letting my class leave school today thinking that this is my last week with them. The hallway monitor – a diminutive designation – visited my classroom after lunch to check in with the students. They were taking a while to settle down so he took the opportunity to use the story of my leaving to encourage them to show some respect. That simple untruth led us into an interesting afternoon.
Many of my students forget as quickly as goldfish. Others carry their emotions like male seahorses do their offspring. The response to my leaving varied in kind.
It reminded me of stories of people who host their own funerals, just to see how other people will respond. This was different because I didn’t die and didn’t plan to. Still, some of my students opened up in ways I wasn’t expecting.
Of those who said anything, they kept asking why I was leaving, what the reason was. I told them that circumstances change so we have to adapt. They’d ask if it was them, their behaviour, or the distance of the school from my house. I told them that it was just the way things are playing themselves out. When they asked what school I was going to next, I told them it was one in the west end, which satisfied their curiosity.
One student told me that I’m the first teacher of hers that her mom likes. Another said that I’m a great teacher so I should stay. Another’s face dropped, disheartened by the news. Most, however, seemed to just accept the news and moved on.
I’ll probably set things straight tomorrow but we’ll see. It might be fun to play this out a little longer, feeding my ego for a few more hours. A few students were away and I’m curious to find out if they will have gotten the news over night.
Leave a Reply