Highlights- For Retail
Two real winners up at the registers today.
The first was a woman who was hacking and coughing all over me.
"I'm sorry, I'm not as well as I thought I was. I really should just go home. Don't worry, I'm not contagious anymore. I don't think."
I smile and tell her that it's OK, that I used to be a teacher so I have so much Vitamin C and company in my bloodstream, I'm a quarter orange, genetically speaking.
"OH, A TEACHER! HOW WONDERFUL! Do you miss it?"
This, is the stock response whenever someone discovers that I used to teach. Thing is...well.
"Actually, I know this sounds terrible. But, I don't miss it at all."
Which is true. I mean, I liked teaching, I may do it again someday. But do I miss it? No.
Unfortunately, this didn't end the conversation.
"Oh, I can imagine. It must be so hard. Did you see that there's that new movie with Hilary Swank coming out about teaching?"
What I wanted to say was, "Yes, but I don't really care for movies in which my people need an Anglo to save us from ourselves."
What I said was, "Yup, but I don't really care for movies about teaching. They don't really hold up to my experience."
"Oh, but this one looks so good."
I really hope I don't catch this woman's cold. Annoying is a hard strain to shake.
A few hours later some AlternaKidz were at my register. This was configuration was the one you normally see when you have a closeted gay boy and his fag hag girlfriends. As in keeping with the stereotype, the girls were bossy and loud. The guy and I were getting along fabulously when the lead hag came in the register line the wrong way.
"Ricky, RICKY!!! THERE'S AN OPEN REGISTER DOWN HERE."
"Sage, I'm already paying."
"OH, HOW WAS I SUPPOSED TO KNOW?"
She comes up the line to my register and starts taking things off the counter to look at them.
"Sage, I'm paying for those, leave them on the counter so he can scan them."
"HI NENIE THAT'S A WEIRD NAME. I'VE NEVER SEEN ONE BEFORE."
Which, yknow, is funny to me cuz the night before I'd had a waiter with that name and, well, it shouldn't be strage to have a Latin name in this town. But, well, to her...right. This is for another rant. So I smiled politely and said.
"Oh, you must not know many Latinos."
She was stunned. I'd spoken to her, I'd smacked her down, and I'd done it in a totally defensible way.
"UMMM, I GUESS UMMMM, NOT?"
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do you know what i love? when i get the "omgz you used to be a teacher omgz that's awesome, are you gonna still be a teacher why don't you go be a teacher omg!" treatment IN A JOB INTERVIEW. FOR A NON-TEACHING RELATED JOB.
Don't worry... your kids will have enough trouble trying to be *you* when they grow up - you don't need to think of anything else. That smack is priceless, friend. Priceless.
cath-
yes...i know. i just don't get it. like, if i wanted to be a teacher, i wouldn't be here interviewing for this gig
believe me, been there
ck-
i dunno, yo
the bar for being me has seriously come down since i turned 23
well
other than marrying a rockstar
but after that...
Sage? F-ing perfect name. AltKid by the name of SAGE? That's gotta be real, cuz a dude can't make shit like that up.
Then I remember that you, dear sir, are certainly able to make shit like that up.
Re: Sage
"'You're my shooting star'...shooting star? What the... *&^%...For the love of God, turn off Siamese Dream and get over yourself."
so, i know that the whole white woman saving a bunch of kids is not your idea of the best movie ever...
as i navigate my career in urban education, the majority of people that i see flocking to teach at inner city schools are white. it's a sad truth. at my school we struggle to hire a diverse crew of teachers and tutors and yet we always come out with a majority of white candidates, as much as we romance and target our marketing towards african americans, latinos and asians.
i also have met erin gruwell (hilary swank's character) and she's pretty unbelievable. i think her story is more about how the kids not only learned from her but how she learned from the kids. although the movie is less about the sweat and tears as it is about the inspiration, which makes me gag. as a white girl in a school or 93% african-american and hispanic students, i can say that the education goes both ways. i have learned so much since i have met these kids, and my life has changed because of it.
Anonymous...
I don't normally allow anonymous posting, but you make a good point and one that I agree with.
I'm not knocking anglos who teach in majority non-anglo environments. I applaud them and thank them for doing the work that they do.
My issue is with the way Hollywood portrays these scenarios, not with the amazing men and women who inspire these stories.
If I ever go back to teaching it will because of two things. 1) a district doesn't make me get another degree just so I can teach. 2) so I can be one of those Latino teachers that a Latino-centric schools need.
OK, scratch that second one. I'd even go back to be the one Latino face my students see in their 3% Latino school, like my last gig.
i was anonymous... this computer didn't remember me. sorry!