Pman gets an allowance for being generally helpful.
He is also taking swim lessons at a local indoor pool. In the lobby there is a vending machine.
He really gets a kick out of buying his own things with his own money.
This past week, Pman brought his allowance to the pool to get a snack from the machines. He picked the knock-off Hostess chocolate cupcakes- the ones with the white swirly on top.
There were two in the package and I told him he could have half of one after dinner when we got home. He put in his dollar, keyed in the numbers and watched as the metal coil spun around 180 degrees, leaving his cupcakes dangling above the opening.
He looked up at me, defeated. Confused.
Plum out of quarters myself, I walked over to the front desk and asked if anyone had a dollar I could borrow to knock the treat loose. I promised I would give them their cupcakes, I just needed the dollar. They all stared at me blankly.
Finally this old man with rough looking facial hair, greasy hat and coveralls handed me a dollar. I thanked him and told Pman to thank him. After both packages of artificial confection dropped, I attempted to give the man his cupcakes.
He said, "No those are yours. Two kids, two packages of cupcakes, looks like each kiddo gets two cakes." He smiled and walked away.
I quickly explained to the P's how generous the man was to us and they will not each be getting two cupcakes after dinner.
The next day in class I had a student have a bad reaction to too much coffee, a new medication and not enough food in his system. He was shaking, could not focus his eyes and was just cognitively out of it. Another student ran to the vending machine to get the sick student some water.
At one point, a health teacher, security guard, the water getter and I were all involved in trying to get the sicky back on track and home safe.
Eventually, I had to go back into my classroom, but I gave a dollar to the other teacher in case the sicky needed something.
After class the water-getter stayed behind. I assumed she wanted to have a "what was that?" conversation about the sick student.
Instead, she handed me the dollar back and told me the other teacher gave it to her and said, "Here, your teacher wanted to pay you back for the water."
My student said, "Oh no, I chose to buy the water. She didn't ask me to."
The health teacher said, "Just take it anyway, I would."
Well thank you for revealing your true colors Professor Pickpocket. And thank you to the bearded stranger wearing coveralls at the indoor pool.
It's about balance I guess.
1 comment:
Ok, so in my opinion the generous bearded guy was a sign for you to pay it forward at some point in your life. Apparently, the sicky guy situation was not the time because of the other student returning the dollar. It was not intended for her and it was not used. The pay it forward situation will occur and being the benevolent being that you are, you will recognize it and respond appropriately. As far as Professor Pickpocket, maybe there's an ethics class she could teach (or take)!
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