Tuesday, November 22, 2005

#450 A Story - A Teacher

I scarfed the following joke from the Mensa joke site. Pardon the "shouting" - that's how it was posted.

I WAS SITTING IN THE WAITING ROOM FOR MY FIRST APPOINTMENT WITH A NEW DENTIST. I NOTICED HIS DDS DIPLOMA, WHICH BORE HIS FULL NAME. SUDDENLY, I REMEMBERED A TALL, HANDSOME, DARK-HAIRED BOY WITH THE SAME NAME HAD BEEN IN MY HIGH SCHOOL CLASS SOME 40-ODD YEARS AGO. COULD HE BE THE SAME GUY THAT I HAD A SECRET CRUSH ON, WAY BACK THEN?

UPON SEEING HIM, HOWEVER, I QUICKLY DISCARDED ANY SUCH THOUGHT. THIS BALDING,GRAY-HAIRED MAN WITH THE DEEPLY LINED FACE WAS WAY TOO OLD TO HAVE BEEN MY CLASSMATE. HMMM ... OR COULD HE???

AFTER HE EXAMINED MY TEETH, I ASKED HIM IF HE HAD ATTENDED MORGAN PARK HIGH SCHOOL.

"YES. YES, I DID. I'M A MUSTANG," HE GLEAMED WITH PRIDE.

"WHEN DID YOU GRADUATE?" I ASKED.

HE ANSWERED, "IN 1959. WHY DO YOU ASK?"

"YOU WERE IN MY CLASS!" I EXCLAIMED.

HE LOOKED AT ME CLOSELY. THEN, THAT UGLY, OLD, WRINKLED SON-OF-A-BITCH ASKED, ...

"WHAT DID YOU TEACH?"

=====================================

I started teaching math at Gettysburg High School in 1965. I was 20 years old. Many of my students were only 2 or 3 years younger than I, but they didn't know that. In their eyes, I was a "grownup" and they were the kids. I left Gettysburg in 1967, moved to New York, and went to work for The Company.

Some five years later, I was in Gettysburg visiting friends. We were sitting in a bar one evening when a handsome young man sat down next to me and began to "put the move on" me, big time. He tried every pickup line in the book. I had told him I was visiting from New York, and he said "You know, I swear you look familiar. Have we ever met before?"

I smiled, and said, "Yes. You were in my calculus class at Gettysburg High School in 1965-66."

He frowned and said "That's funny. I don't remember you. Where did you sit?"

I answered, "At the big desk at the front of the room."

The look on his face as it dawned on him who I was was priceless. Suddenly, I was the grownup, and he was the kid.

Gotta give him credit, though. Once he got over it, he kept trying.

~~Silk

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