The horror!
Those of you who have been knocking around my friends list for some time now might recall (but probably won't) way back in 2004, on May 25th, when I posted this here snippet about things I learned at my first ever Confirmation as a teacher. They were a class I'd had for two years, they were the 11/12 year olds at that time, and they were a lovely bunch of kids.
This year, I again have a Confirmation class. One of the kids that I have this year is the cousin of D, a girl I had in the 2004 class. Our school has the choir on the Late Late Toy Show tonight (for the non-Irish out there, this is a Very Big Deal) and I was asking the kids would they be staying up to watch it. (The choir are closing the show. This is an Even Bigger Deal.) The cousin said no, she has to get up early to go to her cousin's baby shower.
Cousin: "You remember, D Miss? You used to teach her."
Me: (hiding my shock very well, if I do say so myself) Is she going to have a baby?
Cousin: Yes. She's due in January.
Me: (doing the maths and realising yes, it was 2004, which makes her 18, 19 tops, and have just done her Leaving this past June.) Oh isn't that lovely? Tell her I said congratulations! (goes off to be quietly shocked elsewhere.)
On my way out of the school, I meet MH, a teacher who taught in the prefab beside me those two years, who also had 5th and 6th classes. I tell her what I've heard, because I refuse to be horrified alone. The resulting conversation went something like this.
MH: I'll do you one better. Do you remember A who was in that class?
Me: Yeah...
MH: She had a baby... (pause while my jaw drops, and I expect her to say last week, last month etc etc)...the exact same time as Abigail! (This time, my jaw hits the floor and remains there. I actually feel the need to sit down. MH continues.) And I didn't get to tell you, because you weren't here, but I just thought to myself, imagine, her and helsinkibaby having babies at the same time!
Let me tell you, flist, I do not shock easily any more, but I needed a good stiff cuppa after that.
Evidently, my SPHE lessons left a lot to be desired!
This year, I again have a Confirmation class. One of the kids that I have this year is the cousin of D, a girl I had in the 2004 class. Our school has the choir on the Late Late Toy Show tonight (for the non-Irish out there, this is a Very Big Deal) and I was asking the kids would they be staying up to watch it. (The choir are closing the show. This is an Even Bigger Deal.) The cousin said no, she has to get up early to go to her cousin's baby shower.
Cousin: "You remember, D Miss? You used to teach her."
Me: (hiding my shock very well, if I do say so myself) Is she going to have a baby?
Cousin: Yes. She's due in January.
Me: (doing the maths and realising yes, it was 2004, which makes her 18, 19 tops, and have just done her Leaving this past June.) Oh isn't that lovely? Tell her I said congratulations! (goes off to be quietly shocked elsewhere.)
On my way out of the school, I meet MH, a teacher who taught in the prefab beside me those two years, who also had 5th and 6th classes. I tell her what I've heard, because I refuse to be horrified alone. The resulting conversation went something like this.
MH: I'll do you one better. Do you remember A who was in that class?
Me: Yeah...
MH: She had a baby... (pause while my jaw drops, and I expect her to say last week, last month etc etc)...the exact same time as Abigail! (This time, my jaw hits the floor and remains there. I actually feel the need to sit down. MH continues.) And I didn't get to tell you, because you weren't here, but I just thought to myself, imagine, her and helsinkibaby having babies at the same time!
Let me tell you, flist, I do not shock easily any more, but I needed a good stiff cuppa after that.
Evidently, my SPHE lessons left a lot to be desired!