A Rose Among Thorns ... Ha

Allow me to paint a picture of the high school campus where I live and work: The hallways and courtyards are swarming with students, most of them dressed in black and smoking cigarettes with a just-you-TRY-to-teach-me-something attitude.

It's hard to blend in when my wardrobe consists of varying shades of red and pink, and one lone black article of clothing. Add that to my red hair, and I am a walking bullseye. Loud remarks in broken English are lanced at me from every direction.

The students are proud of themselves when they cleverly manage to put to use the only English phrase they know (Good MORNing! Hello!!), and sometimes I humor them by yelling back, which tickles them to no end.

Yesterday I heard "Kate! Kate!" from a student who tells me hello every time I pass him. I always say "How are you?" and he says "I am fine," and that's the extent of our relationship. This time, though, I decided to take our encounters to a whole new level. "Do you have class now?" I called to him.

He hesitated, and then called back, "Fine! How are you?"

I am really getting through to these students.