I Am SO Cool (Not)

There is only one thing wrong with working with elementary age kids for almost twenty years. Well, yeah, OK. There might be more than one. But one is all I can think of right now at my advanced age. At some point (probably about six months in) you lose your coolness quotient. The kids are talking about games, toys, actors, singers, bands - you have never even heard of. You become completely uncool. And you used to be cool. Really. In college you were cool. Really. Seriously.

I met with my technology club students last week and we were working on creating a silly, funny script for their last day of the news broadcast. We always have a funny newscast on the last day of school, just for fun. And I suggested that they say some actor was going to be a new teacher at our school next year. The girls squealed with excitement and suggested Nat Wolf.

In hindsight, I should have just said enthusiastically "Yeah! He would be perfect!". But I can't think that fast on my feet anymore. So, instead, I said "Who?"

Luckily the kids like me. I give them pizza and doughnuts and let them play on the computers. What's not to like? So they didn't roll their eyes. But it was close. They explained who he was. In a band. Acting in a movie. They talked slowly. They spoke loudly. Clearly, I was an ancient hag who had no grasp at all of current events.

I used to be cool. Really. Really I was.