You’re in a store and you hear a high-pitched squeal or an audible gasp followed by your teacher name: “Ms. Badden? Ms. Badden!” Instructions often follow: “Wait right here. I’ve got to show you to my mom!” 
In this case I waited patiently in the frozen food aisle as the child enthusiastically tugged her parent toward me. “Look! It’s Ms. Badden. She’s in the store!” Thank goodness my hair was combed and I wasn’t wearing my favorite pair of sweatpants!
This weekend I witnessed a teacher sighting that made me chuckle. A youngster spotted his teacher with a man and a baby. The teacher’s identity was enthusiastically shared with the parent. The information about the man and baby was shared in a whisper of shock and concern. Don’t you just love kids!
Have a great day! If you’ve been sighted and would like to share your stories, please do. And remember that today is the last day to enter our latest book giveaway. See “Storytime Selections” for details.
Happily,
Diane
Congratulations to Joan, our contest winner!
Wow this one made me laugh. I live and work in the town. I often have encounters with the kids. I love it. Especially when they want to know where my assistant is. After all at the preK level they often think we live together at the school.
The worse one was over Christmas break. I got up at 5am to hit the store for a special sale and some last minute gifts. I was in the store by 6 in old sweats and no make up. I am rushing through the store when I hear Hello Mrs Taig. It was one of the Mom’s I didn’t know well other than she was always dressed and well made up. I now never go to the store with out make up and decent clothes. Talk about embarassed.
In over two decades teaching, my E.T. (Exposed Teacher) experiences have ranged from humorous to humbling; embarrassing to edifying. But, perhaps the best memory involves a 2nd grader who “caught” me buying toilet paper in the grocery store and wondered, “Do you know how to use that kind? It’s not like we have at school, you know. My mom puts it on a silver stick thing that hangs on the wall – then we unwind it.”
I thanked him very much for the help. He beamed.
Thanks for your wonderful blog, Diane! I feel certain you’ve launched a million memories for teachers everywhere. I can’t wait to read the responses.
I worked in several different school districts as a substitute teacher. There have been times when I have been sighted out and about and I cannot remember the student’s name. Sometimes I did not even sub in their classroom, they just remember seeing me. It is fun to be remember in that way.
Living in the small town where I teach is always interesting. I see a minimum of two students every time I go to Wal-Mart. I love it when they look at me as if they can’t believe I actually do a normal thing like shopping. Kids are funny!
Some students act shy when they see me at the store. Of course, they are never that way in class. Some of the biggest talkers are the most shocked & quiet when they see me outside of the classroom. I guess they think that teachers live at school and never leave! 😉
Today, at Walmart, a student who was on my grade level last year, but not in my class, spotted me and practically knocked me over to hug me. He started telling me how excited he is about 5th grade and wanted to know if I would be there this fall. I had to tell him I had transferred to a different school; he told me he would miss me. Made me feel good, even though he wasn’t “one of mine.”
It’s always fun to be recognized in the grocery store, movie theater, or church, but it’s a real disconcerting moment when you look up when huffing and puffing in your water jogging class at the Y and hear a stage whisper, “It’s Ms. B…in a bathing suit!!!”
My most embarrassing moment was when I was at a department store and a 2nd grade student spotted me in the bra section of the store. He dragged his dad over before I could move from the section. I had to hide my selections but the dad spotted the bras I was trying to hide behind my back. He was trying to be polite, quickly say hi and leave. Unfortunately his son was not having it and had to tell me and his dad a story from school. I think his dad’s face was beet red by the time he was able to walk away. Oh boy. Kids are funny.
I also live in the same town where I teach and often run into my own students (pre-k) and others from our school all over the place – post office, grocery store, library, the beach, etc. My funniest encounter ever wasn’t even with one of my students, but with another pre-k child from my school. I had family in town and we all went to a local restaurant for breakfast. The place was packed, but over all the noise I hear a high-pitched child’s voice exclaim, with a gasp, as she pointed right at me, “YOU go to my school!” Everyone turned and looked and I was a little embarrassed, to say the least! 🙂 My family members were especially amused that she said I went to her school, not that I worked there.
No question….my “best” sighting story is when I was learning to ski. There I was in the middle of a beginner run, on my back with my legs and arms outstretched and from the chairlift above me I heard, Hi, Mrs. Y.!!” Of course the story was all over school on Monday morning and I asked the student how on earth he had recognized me as only my face was not bundled up in ski gear….he said, “I recognized your jacket and then your face!!!”
Another memorable time was seeing a family with 2 students I had taught at a hot dog stand in Disneyland….the oldest one just graduated and came back to see me in June and asked me if I remembered the meeting.
The comments about students discovering that teachers have ordinary lives reminded me of an incident that happened many years ago when I was doing my student teaching in a kindergarten classroom. Each morning I would arrive before the children arrived and then leave school after they left for home. One day we were preparing for a field trip. It was winter time and I opened the closet in the classroom to get my things. Suddenly a child jumped up, pointed and screamed, “Look, she has a coat! And boots!!” I turned around to see 18 little faces in complete shock!!
This is late, but I just saw this blog and had to respond to it. I taught for 11 years in a small private school in my hometown, and now I substitute in the same city. When I’ve subbed at the middle school level, I’m delighted to run into ex-students. They are also happy to see me again, and usually say the same thing: “You look different, Miss Z.! You cut your hair!” They also ask about my doxie, Max, who was the subject of many math problems and writing samples. I ask them about their parents and younger siblings, and in what type of extracurricular activities they participate. I also keep up with my “babies” in high school, and was proud to see one of my ex-first graders as a star football player this year. This is when I see how a teacher truly “touches the future”…it’s wonderful!