Sunday, February 4, 2018

THINGS IN OUR LIFE WE DO NOT KNOW ABOUT

     In my last post I admitted that I had no idea that the Micro Manager had such a collection of hankies. I got some ribbing because I didn't know that the handkerchiefs were in the house. That's okay as I'm not at all materially oriented.

     However , some of the comments got me thinking about other areas of my life and what I may be missing.

     Now I was a middle school teacher for 37 years. (You haven't heard that line for a long while.) I know that there were many things that went on in the classroom that I didn't ever get to know about.

     However, I'm friends on an adult basis with many former students and sometimes we share some tremendous laughs about things that went on. There were many near misses of getting caught.

    One story I'll never forget is from Bob who I never taught. Bob was my daughter's neighbor so many times I sat out on the deck with Bob. 

    Bob was a great story teller. There was usually a lesson or moral to his story.

    One day in Middle School Bob decided he didn't want to go to school in the afternoon. He planned his afternoon off very carefully. He would go back to school after the noon lunch break. He would make sure that he was seen but would leave before attendance was taken. When the bell rang to go to home room Bob headed for the exit. To has shock and horror the principal was standing at the far end of the hallway. Just the two of them in that long hallway.

     Well Bob thought , "He's seen me so I'm caught ." Bob kept on going without a shout from the Principal. Then Bob thought, "He'll phone my Mom and when I get home for supper I'll be in trouble." So Bob took his afternoon off but with some worries. Suppertime came and his Mom said nothing.

     Well, Bob thought maybe I didn't get caught skipping class. Then Bob began to worry that when he got to school the next morning that his name would be called to go to the office. Next morning? Bob was not called to the office. Bob was beginning to think that he got a way with skipping class. 

   For some reason the Principal was in Bob's home room taking attendance. When the Principal got to Bob's name and saw an absent for the afternoon before, he asked Bob , "Where were you yesterday afternoon?"  Bob said, I blurted out, "I skipped.!" Bob said he doesn't know why he said he skipped to this day. It just came out of his mouth.

    The Principal calmly said, "Drop into my office before you go home." 

     Now Bob's buddies razzed him for admitting that he skipped when he could have got away with it.

    Bob was allowed to worry all afternoon.

    He visited the Principal after school and was given a few afternoon detentions.

    Bob was still worried about his Mom finding out. His Mom was not phoned.

    Bob likes to think about how miserable an afternoon off school could be.

    Bob joined the Air Force and was paymaster for most of the time.