The Wonder Years

As any teacher will tell you, students are amazing. They can provide amazing insight that forever changes the way you view a topic, they can demonstrate an incredible dedication to learning despite a number of challenges outside the classroom, and sometimes they can just make you laugh. This is a story about a time a student made me laugh.

To set the stage, I was in a seventh grade social studies class at an area middle school, along with my good friend and colleague, "Don" (names have been changed to protect those involved) who was in a sixth grade social studies class, conveniently located next door to my class. After the lesson (I may have taught that day, I may have observed and assisted, I honestly don't remember), I walked out in the hall to talk with my cooperating teacher as he waited outside his classroom as the students left and the next period's class entered. I was waiting for Don, since we carpooled, because gas was not as cheap then, and we were poor college students. Don comes out as my teacher and I start talking to a student.

This started as a simple, generic conversation: "Good morning, how are you 'Susie'?" asked my teacher, "Mr. H". 

"Horrible, and I'm going to be horrible until I can get this note to 'Timmy'."

"What does it say?" asked Mr. H as Susie handed him a piece of paper.
 "It just says 'hey'."
"With a winky-face!"
Only a young, teenage girl would get so worked up over getting a piece of paper to a young, teenage boy that said "Hey ;)". I can not describe why I found this hilarious, but on that particular day, Don and I needed to just walk away, because we burst out laughing a mere thirty seconds later, and if Susie would have a horrible day just because she hadn't said "Hey;)" to Timmy, then image what would have happened to her day if two student teachers started laughing at the ridiculousness of her desires. Walking away also allowed us to sing "Susie and Timmy sitting in a tree" to each other (yes, we are horrible people; all good teachers are [maybe]). Teaching may not yield significant rewards of money, or respect, or money, but you can usually county on students to make you laugh.