I think I have mentioned that I teach college courses. Anyway, spring semester started today, and the standing rule for my kids and Mr. P is do NOT call me during my class unless it is a DIRE EMERGENCY. That translates to a bone sticking out and/or copious amounts of blood...to either your person, or that you have caused another person due to car accident. (If you stab someone on purpose, it can wait until after class.) This translates to me being unavailable to TALK on the phone 5 hours per week. I will always look at texts...during class (I use my phone for the time, so it is sly), faculty meetings, office hours, etc. just in case someone needs something that only I can provide...say an 0+ kidney, for instance.
Today during my second class, my phone vibrates, I look...it is the high school kid. I turn it off thinking, okay, first day, he has forgotten I am in class. He calls back 2 minutes later, then again a third time. I finally get freaked out. I tell my class that I am incredibly sorry, but that is my kid, and I have to get this.
Me: Hello
Kid: Hey.
Me: You do know that I am in class.
Kid: Yeah, but it is VERY important.
Me: What's wrong? (sinking feeling in my gut, him and the college kid were on the way to the ortho)
Kid: mm, how much did you want me to pay the orthodontist?
Me: WHAT?
Kid: So, just January, or what?
Me: I told you this morning, pay it off, but this is NOT an emergency.
Kid: (leisurely) So, I am supposed to pay just January?
I stroked out and died right in front of my 330 class.
After I was revived, I had to offer them all a bonus point for my unbelievable unprofessional phone call in class about paying. the. orthodontist.
After I finish the class, get in my office, shut the door and soundproof my office, I call the kid back.
Me: UNLESS THERE IS BLOOD DO NOT CALL ME DURING CLASS.
Kid: Oh, but I didn't know how much to pay, and if I paid too much money, blah blah.
Me: I get that, but I really thought there was only one payment left, January.
Kid: There was. I paid it.
oh for the love of marshmallows.
So he called me, interrupted my class, then kept me on the phone before he even attempted to make the payment...it isn't like they were trying to make him pay too much and he was keeping us from starvation due to lack of funds.
I am going to the gym directly after work, then my roadtrip starts tomorrow.
Lucky for him.
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8 comments:
haaaa. i think my favorite is how when you called back, it was in all caps, angry red. my mom has that same tone of voice :-)
for the love of marshmallows---love that! and omg on the call. road trip? you're going on a road trip??? is that a fun thing or work thing? will you still be blogging or...gasp...will i be deprived.
Reasons I love your blog:
If you stab someone on purpose, it can wait til after class.
Have a good trip!
Oh man, that is too funny.
Happy workout!
dumbass.
The definition of emergency is a frequent topic of mine, because in graphic arts production there is always what someone deems an !!!!EMERGENCY!!!! that is something totally non-life threatening, like a wrong font or something. To make the contrast even worse, my husband is a firefighter/EMT, so he deals with actual emergencies (well, most of the time), so my job emergencies look even lamer compared to his.
Ohh. I am finishing up my degree and my kids have the same instructions. Only once have I been called, thank god the prof has a teen as well. Could have KILLED my teen, she wanted to remind me that we needed milk. Ahhhhhh.
I love how you talked in red. I need to pick up that mad skill.
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