all apologies

also 5/18/2002:
something happened in the staff room yesterday. our VP [vice principal] was sitting there marking exams for 1st and 2nd Year students. turns out he gave them tests for all 3 of his subjects simultaneously! 3 questions (one per subject) up on the blackboard.

what's more, that may well have been the 1st time they'd seen him all term! and i thought i was bad. not good to have people like that to compare yourself to. needless to say, his ..students are across the courtyard complaining bitterly. whether it's about his marks or mine, i'm not sure. honestly, i wasn't listening... who cares?

turns out the VP does. he hears one of our students say something and calls for him... it's the 3rd student in less than an hour that he's done this to. asks him why he just cursed him. i didn't hear anything, though the student was definitely shouting in the classroom across the way.

i'm sitting there, with my ears plugged, trying to concentrate on recounting another student's marks... turns out the student the VP is berating leads him to believe (and i'm sure the VP needs little convincing) that i was the one he was talking about. cursing, that is.

so, in front of 4 or 5 students, the VP turns to me and asks why i let students curse me like that? that i should reprimand them. take their papers and give them zeros. i just looked at him, knowing that:

1. i didn't care if the student was cursing me. i didn't hear and wasn't as intent on listening as he seemed to be.
2. the student was probably cursing him but, when confronted, decided it would be easier to say i was the one he was talking about.

but i didn't respond. i just gave the VP a dirty look and said something about not listening to students' empty talk.

later that day... that very same student comes to the house, all distraught and apologetic. explaining how he was, in fact, talking about the VP the whole time but couldn't get himself to admit it. he said he couldn't rest and that his conscience was bothering him. that he didn't want to ruin our cordial relationship.

i assured him that he did nothing of the sort. that i'd barely given any of it another thought and that i had a feeling i wasn't the one he was cursing. this is all too funny! especially since we'd just finished with dinner and i was telling Paul and Maggie about the whole affair.