Saturday, June 16, 2007

Sometimes I like the human race.

Ok, so usually after a shift at the Chevron my posts here sound like I would rather run off to the Yukon and never see another human being again. That's because it's a lot easier to be funny, or make fun of, rude, stupid and obnoxious people. Making fun of all the decent people really wouldn't be funny and would make me look like a real moron. Plus there's no anger at nice people that needs venting. Anyway, the rest of this post is dedicated to those people who go through life trying to improve the day of the people they interact with. Like the guy who sounded incredibly sincere when he thanked me for helping him. And the couple that, instead of pocketing the $5 bill that was dropped on the ground, chased the guy to give him back his $5. Anyway, I just figured that once in a while I ought to point out that, for the most part, I really do think the human race is ok.

1 comment:

A Paperback Writer said...

I had one of those moments at the end of the school year. "B," a boy in both my Spanish and English classes, had struggled with some tough stuff all year (family issues). I'd extended a few deadlines and given him a couple of friendly pats on the back for encouragement during the year, but nothing really out of the ordinary. I just let him know I liked him and that I believed he was a smart kid who could work through the crap in his life right then and still come out on top.
Most kids barely acknowledge this kind of thing because teachers do it all the time. But on the last day for the 9th graders, when I let him hand in one last thing to bump his grade up to something slightly more respectable, he spontaneously through his arms around me and told me he loved me. (Note: this would be common with girls or male drama students, but B. isn't in drama; he's more the athletic type of guy.)
It made my day. Sometimes it's worth it to be a teacher.