i don't know whether to be flattered or frightened

today i had three phone calls from a number i didn't recognize. i figured whoever it was would leave a message, but each time, nothing. on the third call, which came around 9:15 PM, i decided to pick it up. on the other end i heard a voice asking, "is this mr. allen, the most kickass english teacher ever?" of course i answered yes. turns out to be one of my students from last year. he said he and some others had wanted to "hang" with me (their words, not mine), so they googled my name and after a couple of wrong calls, ended up calling my dad, who decided to go ahead and give them my phone number.

either i'm far too easy to find online or my students are much smarter than i give them credit for. or maybe they just have waaaaaayy too much time on their hands.

i don't remember ever wanting any of my teacher's phone numbers in high school. so i'm flattered to be remembered. but the idea of students having my number makes me a bit...wary, i guess. an irrational fear, but in today's warped society, i could see it being a problem. i was chatting with a friend who asked if i was "comfortable" hanging with former students. guess i am, moreso than i would be with current students. i mean, i was trained to be able to relate to teens back in my seminary days, so it comes naturally. and it's not like some have intimated (read: administrators) that teachers who interact with students outside of school are looking for friends. truth is, i genuinely like teenagers. not in some creepy kind of way, but because i find them fun and fascinating.

which i guess probably just makes me seem creepy.

oh well. the students are supposed to call back once they figure out when everyone can get together and let me know when and where we can "hang." and this time i'll answer the first time i see the number.
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ps you'll notice a new "now playing" format below. comes from the foxy tunes plugin for firefox. i highly recommend it.
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tunes: The La's - There She Goes
via FoxyTunes