Being the only unmarried and childless member of my family, I deal with a lot of joking and teasing and merciless taunting about getting married. I have noticed, however, that it has diminished in the last couple of years, and I suspect it is due, in large part, to many of of the instigators losing hope that I will ever be able to persuade someone to marry me. Although maybe some members of my family have lost hope, my students haven't!
A few weeks ago, I had some students in my class asking me if I was married and if I ever planned on getting married, "you know...settle down and have a family!" I avoided answering the question. There was no good way to answer. If I said yes, they'd either pry into my love life or try to set me up with an older brother or cousin or uncle. If I said no...well I'd be lying and all of you know how well I lie!!!
A few days later I was informed that my students were scheming to set me up with the English student teacher! I rolled my eyes and walked away trying not to encourage them. I tried to forget about it, but I was abruptly alerted a couple of weeks later that this wasn't a passing thought when another teacher came into my room and warned me that there were some students down the hall scheming to set me up with the same student teacher.
Assuming that although they might talk about it amongst themselves but never actually act on it, I laughed about it, but didn't worry about putting an end to it. I should have realized that middle schoolers are completely preoccupied with dating and if they can't have it in their own lives, they feel a need to make it happen for other people!
On Friday (the last day of school before Valentine's Day) a couple of students told me that they had told their student teacher about me and that he wanted to go out with me! They wanted my phone number so they could give it to him. I said, "If he really wants it, he can get it from me himself." Then, they left me a note on my desk addressed to "Sarah" (which, when they are your students, is thoroughly inappropriate). The note described why they thought I would be perfect for this guy etc. I talked to the girl who wrote it about how it was inappropriate, but it must not have sunk in because at the end of the day she brought a Valentine (that she had made) for me from "him." When I commented on the handwriting looking an awful lot like hers, she confessed that she had made it and he had signed it.
As much as this is completely inappropriate and it needs to stop, at least I know they've got my back! ;)
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