(Near the end of naptime I am chatting quietly with one of my three-year-old early-wakers about his recent vacation. There is a lull in the conversation, and then this happens:)
Kid: *completely matter-of-factly* “Miss [My Name], you know what? When you get older? You’re gonna die.”
(I am currently taking drama classes in school. At the moment, we are currently focusing on comedy, and we are told to tell the class a joke we like. It should also be noted that I am pansexual.)
Teacher: “All right, [Student #1], your joke.”
Student #1: “Hmm…”
Student #2: *quietly* “Do the clown one!”
Student #1: “Okay, got it. Hey, [My Name], have you ever seen the clown that hides from gay people?”
Me: *I’ve mostly zoned out, and I barely register the question, so I answer without thinking* “Nope.”
Class: *some stifled giggles, given that I just fell for what is currently one of the jokes making the rounds in our grade*
Me: *I register what I just said, and decide to roll with it* “I’d be a bit worried if I had seen it, honestly.”
(At this point, the class collapses into giggles.)
Student #1: “Hold on, so, you’re gay? Like, actually?” *I think he thought I was joking*
Me: *I shrug* “Yeah. That and I don’t like clowns.”
(The class moved on fairly quickly, and that was how I semi-accidentally came out to my drama class!)
(Everyone is waiting for the buses to pick them up. While they wait, an ambulance goes by, sirens blaring.)
High School Girl: “Hey, look, it’s an ambiance!”
(Halfway through the semester, our professor brings in a deck of cards with mindfulness exercises on them. He wants us to do one exercise at the beginning of every class, which each person leading an exercise at least once. He picks me to be the first one to do it for our next class, but because I have chronic memory problems and he doesn’t bring it up again, I forget. He approaches me on Friday.)
Professor: “Remind me… weren’t you supposed to do the mindfulness card on Wednesday?”
Me: “Yeah, I picked out a card, but you didn’t mention it in class and I forgot.”
Professor: *pause* “I’m going to be honest. I forgot. I’m going to forget about it every single day.”
(It seems neither of us are very mindful.)
(This is an all-boys’ high school, and graffiti is written all over the paper towel dispenser, much of it drug-related. Among it is this scrawl:)
Graffiti: “I was doing ‘death-defying bong hits’ while you guys were still in diapers!”
(It was signed by one of the teachers.)