The class was Link Crew, which is a leadership class where the students are involved with making the youngest students to the school feel welcome. They plan and run activities for them starting with an orientation at the beginning of the year.
Generally, leadership classes with a sub mean I sit there making sure they don't destroy the room. (They usually find homework to do or keep themselves occupied in other ways.) But on this day the other Link Crew advisor (who teaches the other period of Link Crew) was giving the kiddos a lesson.
It's fun to sit back and watch other teachers do their thing. Ms. S was getting the kiddos ready to come up with ideas for spring semester activities.
At one point, she brought up jazzercise. (I don't remember the context.) "I'm sure you all have no idea what that is."
One boy chimed in. "Does it have something to do with exercise?"
Ms. S admitted that was a good guess, but likely the guess as it had "-cize" in it.
The boy: "It's that dance thing that people did in the '70s..."
And then I said something I've never before said to a student. I called him "child".
Me: "Child, it was in the '80s."
And I realized that I was likely the only person in that room who had existed in the '80s. Ms. S can't be more than 30.
I stand by calling the student "child". Funny how it just slipped out.
Just wait until you enter a technology store and the salesperson who waits on you looks like they are 12 years old.
ReplyDeleteAs I deal with 12-year-olds on a regular basis (like, I'm in a room full of them right now), I think I'm more likely to think the tech guys look 16.
DeleteIt was a shock to find out "vintage" means the '70's!
ReplyDeleteI object to the term "vintage". Whatever happened to antique?
Delete70s, 80s, it all seems like ancient history to them.
ReplyDeleteIt's before they were born. The '80s to them is like the '50s to me.
DeleteEven the other teacher was born in the nineties? That can't be right. We're not old, are we???
ReplyDeleteWe just did a music trivia contest, specifically 80’s music. And the guy running the contest was not alive in the 80’s …
ReplyDeleteYup, we the olds now.
DeleteIt odd how people look at ages. All of my Aunts and one uncle are in their 90's
ReplyDeleteCoffee is on and stay safe
That's funny and also "Child,...." is something you'd say in an 80's sitcom.
ReplyDeleteProbably. Fitting, then.
DeleteThose moments are spooky. Funny as well, though. It's hard to accept the 80s as history.
ReplyDeleteHahaha it was very funny how you said Child. But for me is also strange when people said that 80s are history, I feel so old.
ReplyDeleteThe '00s are history. Seriously. There are events from that decade in their history books.
DeleteThere comes a time in your life where you sit back and wonder where the years went. Once, you might have been the youngest teacher there but now Ms. S fars below you. I remember when I started my printing career in 1978, I was the youngest one there at 18 out of about 300 folks. YOUNGEST....crap, then life happened and one day I looked up and realized I was no longer that one, the youngest one. Thank goodness not the oldest either BUT, my boss was younger than I. LOL
ReplyDeleteThank goodness I'm not the oldest. Luckily, there are a couple retired teachers who sub and another sub who graduated the same year as me. But there are more youngins than there used to be.
DeleteThe passage of time can seem cruel.
ReplyDeleteI don't know about cruel. Since turning 50 I enjoy freaking out the kiddos by letting them know I have clothing older than them.
DeleteHonestly, even the 90s, the time I grew up in seems like a long long time ago
ReplyDeleteYup, it was. '90s are now vintage.
DeleteAnd I think it is worse being in a generation born in a year that doesn't start with "20". Everything starting with "19" just seems ancient to those kids.
ReplyDeleteGiven that the past few pandemic years seem to have flown buy it's crazy to stop and realise how far ago the 80s was, haha! I'm an 80s baby though, no Jazzercise for me!
ReplyDeleteThe '80s were 40 years ago.
Deletehahah..
ReplyDelete