Real Talk

Its a well known fact that, in general, substitutes don't command a whole lot of respect in the hallways. Students figure that they can venture pretty far over the line before the typical sub will expend the significant amount of time and energy it takes to get a student in trouble.

Pretty much everyday, I walk into the boys room and walk in on some group of boys smoking. Most of the time its a cigarette, occasionally its the other thing kids smoke in school bathrooms. In either case nothing usually comes of it. They put whatever they were smoking out, and I pee. At least they show me some deference by extinguishing their smokes.

With each day I spend at Gateway, kids get to know me better and show me a little more respect. Recently, during the passing periods, when I'm standing in the hallway and a student I have in class calls someone a motherfucker, they usually follow it with a sincere and appreciated 'Sorry, Mr. Awesome.'

That's why I was so astounded today when a student in my third period class was standing next to me during the passing period and said to a girl walking down the hall 'Hey Porsche, you should take your shirt off.' I was stunned. But Porsche was calm. She responded, 'why?'

His answer? 'So we can see your breasts.'

I guess I've still got a long way to go.