Tuesday, April 29, 2003
Could someone over the age of 18 please sexually harrass me?There is a lot I am willing to overlook in my job. Take, for example, the fact that I do not have a stapler. (read: staple machine) I had one at one time. One that I purchased with my very own money and then strategically placed on my 1970's style monster of a metal desk. It lived happily on the desk, loaded with shiny new staples, for a grand total of three periods. Then, knowing that my stapler would of course be smarter than all the other little mindless staplers in the world, it gathered it's belongings and took off for greener pastures, never to be seen again. It was too good for that school. I understand this now. I respect it. And the daily retrieval and return of Nate's stapler gives my kids a sense of continuity from one day to the next. If there's one thing they can count on, it's that I never have a freakin stapler.
But on to the heart of the matter: the things I'm beginning to think I can no longer tolerate. Namely: sexual harrassment. We aren't talking about once-in-a-while, tiny little inappropriate comments about how cute my outfit is, or how lovely my curly flowing locks are. We're talking tits and ass, could-you-buy-your-clothes-a-couple-sizes-smaller, Grade-A, Clintonesque sexual harrassment. And the best part is, all of it is coming from boys who aren't old enough to buy their own cigarettes.
All of the unwanted attention culminated today in a grand moment of bra-popping. Yes, you read that correctly. I had my bra-popped, third grade style, by one of my students. Sure, it was funny as hell. And it was all in good fun. Not malicious in the least. And had I not immediately laughed my ass off, I probably could have gotten said sexual-harrasser into a large heap of trouble.
Maybe if I weren't such a hippie (see below), I'd react like a mature professional in such situations. But in the meantime, I think I'll just stay the hell away from my harrassers. Avoidance is my best tactic. I'll run when I see them coming, avoid them at all costs, prevent eye contact....
Oh wait. I'm supposed to be teaching these jokers. Back to the drawing board.
Heather at 7:50 PM
