First off..Happy March! Can anyone, at all, believe that it is March? This year has gone by so fast!
My blog is about side conversations. I know that they aren't polite and I'm really not a fan of them when I'm the teacher for my CCD class on Saturdays, but I have to hand it to this class when I say, we are not shallow-side conversation people...we're, for lack of a better word, nerds.
I first realized this while I was sitting in class this week. This was the day I decided not to talk as much because I shouldn't be using my vocal chords. I'm always listening. I'm a gossiper, I eavesdrop, and when I'm not talking...I can listen a lot better. So that day I was listening intently for anything interesting. The class discussion was nice, but not everyone decides to say how they really feel outloud to the class. I realized that people were actually talking about the book.
This has nothing against the book or the class, but normally students talk about something other than class when they're having a side conversation. What happens in other classes is that people talk about their weekend, a different class, their clothes, a stupid SNL skit, but that is not the case with us. Our class is a bunch of people who talk about the actual assignment in a side conversation.
This might not seem like a big deal to most of you, but to me it is a very big deal. I live in a town where the best jeans and hair are what's on most people's minds. This thing that I noticed in class shows me that in a lot of black and white, there will always be a sliver of color. I also understand that what I just said is probably the most cheesy thing I will ever say in my life. If a bunch of teenagers are ok with actually talking about school, in school, then it gives me hope that maybe this whole world isn't just one big fake. There are people in the world that don't have big egos, that don't push you to be someone you aren't. That class period gave me hope that I won't mind growing up because if there are 28 kids like that in about 4,000 people...there has gotta be about 2 million in the United States.
We might be nerds, but one day there will be too many of us that you can't call us nerds, and maybe side conversations won't be frowned upon.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Mary, this is a well written post, and you made many good insights. I for one, talk so much, even though it's not always intentional, and completely agree that it's easier to listen when I'm not talking. But in a classroom full of 28 genius children, it's hard to always get to say what you want, because even when you think of something great, there are so many others who are the same. So, what do I do? Turn to someone next to me and tell them or just save it for break. Sure, my side conversations aren't always about a book we are reading, but when they are, I think it's quite acceptable to be having them.
ReplyDeleteAnother aspect of your post that I really enjoyed is the hope that other people can do the same. I know I've done a post and even seen a few saying, 'What will come of our society?' but I like the optimism that comes out of your post because there are people who think out there.