Intersections
OnceOphelia posted on a rather interesting topic the other day:
What do we think of our teachers
when we see them out of context?
I absolutely hate being caught out of context
and had a similiar experience this summer to what OnceOphelia
describes; only my interpretation is somewhat different.
On the freeway home from this state's capitol,
I passed through the town where I taught at a branch university
spring quarter and stopped to get gas. (At $1.36,
I remember so fondly.)
While I sat in the passenger seat with my bare feet
up on the dash, listening to who-knows-what,
I noticed a familiar figure, only in a smock,
taking out trash.
She had been the star student, an excellent writer,
thinker. Beautiful in an honest way. Someone I respect.
A student whose future seemed limitless.
When she saw me sitting at the pump,
she pretended not to notice. I looked the other way.
It wasn't about me at all.
Not about seeing her professor without shoes,
windswept messy hair, listening to music.
No.
That moment was about her
and her desire for me not to see _her_ out of context:
the context of being an incredibly bright student,
eager to experience the world from a better advantage point
than taking out loads of trash
on a Saturday afternoon
at a local Speedway.
posted by SquirrleyMojo @ 9:09 AM
6 Comments:
That's interesting and can be true of anyone who plays a certain role in another's life. Boss out of context, dentist out of context. It's just kind of weird even though you know they have a life besides the role!
I have an old teacher who use to be one of my most favorite people on earth. If it wasn't for him, I would have never been able to write like I do, and his perpesctive on world history changed my life forever. After I became an adult, I found out he was a pervert. Apparently all his hugging and kissing wasn't just happiness over a suceeding student, but an attempt to get into my drawers.
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I find this sad although it contains interesting insights. Was the student ashamed of her job? She shouldn't be, but too often its that way in life. I suppose we all have been in places we don't want to seen. Work itself should be noble; why isn't it seen that way?
I also fondly remember $1.36 gas.
mmm, good post. sad, true, but good.
Any job worth doing...is worth doing well. Her particular job performed a needed service and no one should be ashamed that they haven't reached their desired goal yet...it does take time. She should be very proud that people look upon her academic achievements with high regard. She could be a complete moron instead.
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