"I almost, like, cried. Seriously."

Student: "Do you hang out with other teachers?"

Me: "Yep."

Student: "REALLY?!"

Me: "...Yes?"

Student: "Oh my God! That is too cute!"

Me: "It is?"

Student: "Yes!! When I found out *Teacher A* and *Teacher B* did things together with their children, too, I almost, like, cried. Seriously."

~*~

I had this conversation with a female student I taught last year. Who, by the way, says I'm her favourite teacher (yes, I know, she probably tells that to all the teachers), but I did give her an apple and some chocolate after school because she was hungry and she told me that she learned that the word 'a lot' is two separate words and not 'alot' because I showed my class last year a website on it (Thanks, Hyperbole and a Half!)

What's interesting, too, is that after this conversation she went on to say that she thought there'd be a lot of bullying and resentment in the workplace (she works at MacDonalds with, no doubt, people her own age so I'm sure she's speaking from experience.) And you know what I said back? I told her the truth. Yes, there is bullying and resentment and petty arguments. People are people. Sometimes the arguments change and sometimes they don't, but it never really goes away. I mean, I remember my grandmother once complaining how she knew another elderly lady in the apartment complex must have hidden the last piece of the puzzle just to spite her and her friends who work on puzzles in the common room because that woman was "a miserable woman." It was then I realized that a part of high school always travels with you.