Thursday, April 10, 2008

Apathy Jack writes:

For this scene, the student whose skirt went missing halfway through the period (don’t ask, just don’t ask) will be played by Victim. A guilty-looking student who is suddenly attacked by Victim will be played by Thief. I play myself, sitting tiredly at my desk.

Thief “Hey! Could you do that later? I’m trying to do my work.”
Me “See, that’s interesting.”
Thief “Ack! Leggo! What’s interesting?”
Me “Normally when someone comes over and starts randomly choking you, you might be inclined to say, for example: ‘Why are you choking me?’ To offer a reaction as nonchalant as ‘Do it later’ implies that you know why you’re being choked, and that you accept your guilt.”
Victim “That’s right!”
Thief “Ow, would you let go? Thank you. Anyway, I have no idea where your skirt went.”
Me “Well, could you at least tell her if she’s hot or cold?”
Thief “Yeah, let’s do that.”
Victim “I knew it!”
Thief “Gak! Ack! Play the game! Play the game! Argh!”



It’s one of the reasons I like teaching: the image of the Thief scrabbling against the door, trying to get back in (after I locked them out in the hallway to discuss the matter) immediately before her body is slammed into the door by the Victim and her face smooshes into the glass like in a slapstick movie will linger with me for ages, whereas the two teachers coming to angrily investigate the noise fades like the morning dew...

4 comments:

Psycho Milt said...

Not the skirt she was wearing, one assumes? That would be simply careless.

You paint a vivid picture in your final paragraph. Sometimes the opprobrium of colleagues and superiors is a small price to pay for such a moment.

Apathy Jack said...

It was the skirt she was wearing.

No, I'm not entirely sure how it happened either...

Sir Arthur Streeb-Greebling said...

...had she just been to pick something up from the stage in the hall?

Apathy Jack said...

Many people picked up many things under that stage...

But this is the New School - they don't have a stage (possibly for that very reason) so the children are virtuous. All they do in class is steal and fight.