Tuesday, October 03, 2006

The Wrong Answer Will Ruin Your Day.

OK, people. Let's all hearken back to an earlier time. 6th grade, to be exact. Those happy, carefree days with your pals and the glory that is the "learning experience." Good times..

Hey, remember this one?

Hi! I like you. Do you like me? Circle one:

Yes No

XOXO

Me


That's the note, among several others, that got passed in the last thirty minutes of my teaching day today. Thirty minutes of my life (that I will never get back, mind you) which now hang upon a young man's answer. A young man who hasn't a clue in this world how to maneuver his pre-adolescent self around the minefield that is the feelings of the 6th grade girl. The world itself hushed in breathless anticipation.

The answer was, "NO." And it was circled several times. Boldly.

And there went the rest of the day. There was crying. There was pouting. There was the declaration that life, itself, is no longer worth living. There was little in the way of educational pursuits...

Sheesh!

It seemed that I had earned a bit of a treat after the Oscar-worthy performance to which I was treated at ear-splitting decibels. Following this afternoon's workout, I took a nice hot bath and am currently hunkered down with a big bag of Maine Munchies Blueberry Yogurt Covered Raisins. I am not reading the label. I am not measuring out portion sizes. You can't make me. Don't even try...

Once I've completed my "feast of dysfunction," I will resume work on my little green sockie. The fact that it is really no longer a "little" sock is not going to daunt me. I may or may not have neglected to do a gauge swatch on this one. I may or may not have had some delusion that I know what I'm doing. I'm not confessing to anything. I'm just saying that this will be casual-at-home-floppy footwear and leaving it at that. It'll be fine.

Socks give your tootsies the love even if they don't fit exactly right. A sock will never circle, "no."

SA

15 comments:

sheep#100 said...

I am rather glad that it is not necessary for me to revisit the 6th grade.

Sheila said...

6th grade, huh?
Those poor girls are all about the boys, and the poor clueless boys still think girls are yucky. I still remember my 6th grade crush, Steven. I saw him several years ago, but didn't have the nerve to say hi. I was afraid he'd say "ooh, cooties" if I extended my hand for a shake.

Anonymous said...

Oh, I hope that never happens in my class. Yikes!

Just remember - raisins are healthy. Don't worry about what they're wearing!

Teri S. said...

You're a better woman than I to handle a crisis of that proportion. Just thinking about it gives me the willies, sort of like the feeling you get when a spider is crawling on you.

Floppy, soft warm socks? Perfect! Especially after a hot bath in the depths of winter.

Lazuli said...

Oh the memories! Sixth grade is fun for no one. :-P

April said...

Robbie Parker, the fifth grade. He had flaming red hair, was at least three inches shorter than I was and I thought he was perfection on two legs.

Anonymous said...

You are eating fruit and yogurt. There should be on concern.
Let's see 6th grade would have been Tony. Very cute and sweet. He didn't know that I was alive. He married another classmate and they have 3 kids. I don't speak to either of them. If I do I might discover that I am still not alive.
All socks are good socks!
Karen
http://nothingbutknit.blog-city.com/

Anonymous said...

My 6th grade note was even worse than that. I taped a screw to a note and wrote "wanna screw" to the boy I liked. His parents found the note (and of course the screw was long gone)! His parents called my parents. Suddenly it wasn't so funny anymore :)

This Weary Traveler said...

Oh Lord! Poor girls. The boys have no time for them at that age and just don't get it. I've instructed mine to just always be kind. Don't criticise their hair or clothing or skin. If you don't want to be their boyfriend fine, but don't be mean and scar them for life. He is being pursued with a vengeance by one particular girl who finds it necessary to text him 10 times a day. I wouldn't go back to sixth, seventh, or eighth grade for anything!!!

Anonymous said...

Those floppy socks are wonderful to wear to sleep when it's too cold to go barefoot. Size doesn't matter -- they are so warm.

6th grade -- the first of many piano players I had a crush on. But I married someone who can't play any instruments, or write soulful poetry. Go figure. At least I don't have to live in an attic with a starving musician...

Anonymous said...

Ahhhh...I remember it well. I was quite the little heart-breaker in those days. One little fella actually 'borrowed' a real pearl necklace from his mom's jewelry box for me, and gave it to me as a gift, along with a kiss in the cloakroom. Being the savvy six grader/jewelry expert that I was, I knew it was 'the real thing' (the necklace I mean) and did grudgingly give it back. Little Billy was in a lot of doodoo after that escapade...I was feeling like a princess! He was a little hotie.LOL....Thanks for the memories, too bad about the NO!!!!!

Cursing Mama said...

I have a daughter in 5th grade. I warned her YEARS ago to never write one of those letters - they always end in tears.
Did you have something chocolate to offer in consolation?

I also checked with my sock and it said it would circle "No"

Mia said...

oh my.. and no mention of chocolate anywhere!!! I DO remember those kinds of notes though.. made me laugh to myself.. ya gotta appreciate the innocence of youth..

I still remember Jeffrey.. he squished my egg salad sandwich when he sat on my lunch bag.. I thought it meant he liked me cause he sat next to me! The heck with the sandwich!

JJ said...

Oh no! I taught 6th grade for one year and it drove me nuts. Perhaps it was because I was only 22 at the time and still remembered being that age.

What really drove me nuts was the hormone swing. The way that one day "He's looking at me!" was a whiny complaint and two days later it was a dreamy declaration.

You know, I think 6th grade is where guys start feeling like they have power because they don't care whil the girls do but really they are just not maturing at the same rate.

I'll nibble in sympathy.

Anonymous said...

My daughter is in 6th grade! Boys are a big concern right now for her. Mine was Todd Murphy and lasted all through junior high. He circled no.