A New Ladies Man Appears

So the kids finished their math test early and asked if they could make signs for my softball team. Sounded fun to me, so I agreed. The girls wanted to make signs for the female players, and the boys for the boys.

Except for Moussa. He mentioned one of the female players. "So, Mr. Rice, tell me. Does she look . . .nice?" I said yes. "How old is she." I told him she was in her thirties. "THIRTIES? AND SHE CAN STILL PLAY?!?"

"Hey, I'm 32!"

"I thought you were fifty!"

Later he came back to me and asked, "So who's the best looking girl on your team?" I told him they were all beautiful. "Well, do you have any . . .younger?"

"How young?"

"How about nine?"

"Definitely not, Moussa."

"Hm. Fifteen?"

"Still too young for my team."

"OK, fifteen to twenty-five?" That I said we had.

I like the way he thinks.

Oh, My

At the end of the day, some of my girls were talking to my teaching partner. Ruby lets it be known that she wants to be "single the rest of [her] life." That would have been funny enough but Jaylin replied, "Oh, no, I want a man in my house! I don't want to die alone!"

Overheard in the hallway

After I picked the kids up from lunch, we were going back upstairs. Another class was rowdily walking ahead of us. To no one in particular, Jesus says, "We need some new chicks in this school."

He has excellent taste, by the way

So we were having a pizza party in celebration of 100 books read so far this year. A colleague came by, and we offered her a slice. She didn't have time but we said we'd send a kid with one for her. Jeff says, "I'll do it!" loudly and then, to himself "cause she's HOT."

"What was that?" I asked.

"Uhhhh . . .I said . . .it was really cold in here . . ."

"I heard what you said, Jeff." Then I let him take it to her.

Classic Julio

Last year I had a kid named Julio. Smart, witty . . .all around great. And a total ladies' man. He was very aware of girls and wrote about his loves and crushes often. Reminded me of me at his age . . .except his were requited loves, heh. Anyway, one day a rather attractive female colleague stopped in to chat with me while they were doing independent work. We talk for a while, laugh, and she leaves. Julio's staring me down as I walk back in. He gives me a bit grin and two thumbs up.

From then on he always made a point to notice when I talked to pretty girls. I miss him.