Do people ever grow out of acting up when "the boss" isn't around?
Remember as kids when there would be a substitute teacher and the whole day was just a waste? And I haven't worked in awhile, but I seem to recall a few work days that went the same way when the boss wasn't around.
Our teacher wasn't at school today, and we had this nice little old lady instead. Most of the time, we know if our regular teacher won't be there, so we plan our day accordingly; normally, I wouldn't plan to take a test that day, and just have stuff to do that doesn't require asking questions. This time, we didn't know, and the only thing I had to do was take two tests, and I didn't want to do that today, so I just goofed off and talked and studied a little.
Everyone else talked through the entire class. One guy kept leaving the room and managed to be in the class just often enough to make sure they didn't notice and count him absent. It's very close to the end of the semester, and we get the firing squad if we miss more than five hours or something, so it's very important that people are in the room, even if they aren't doing anything.
And if I could, I just need to mention that this makes me a little angry. I've missed about seven days of school because of my kids being sick. I can't miss any more or I face the wrath of the votech dean. However, I have done twice the work I need to. I am pretty sure that should count for something like maybe taking December off. Because I don't want to be anywhere but home in December.
There is one guy who sits in the front and he always leaves early. Our teacher notices it about half the time. He left today about ten minutes after class started, and the sweet little old lady started counting people and noticed that one was missing. She kept asking where the other person went and we were all looking around to see who was gone. After about ten minutes, three or four of us had figured out who it was, but nobody wanted to tattle. Seriously, like eight year olds. We're all "Hmmm....I don't know how many people are usually here...I see everyone I sit next to...I just don't know..." So finally, the lady decided she had counted wrong in the first place, and went back to her desk.
We all rolled our eyes at each other as a passive agressive statement about people who leave early and put the rest of us in a bad situation, and possibly also we were a little jealous that he thought of it first. Or maybe a lot jealous. Or maybe one of us was jealous enough that they spent the rest of the class imagining the wonderful adventures he must be having in the wide world outside the classroom. That person may have been me, but also maybe not, because the guy next to me kept leaning over and whispering "Can I go, too? Is it time to leave? Do you think I could sneak out?"
A few minutes later, the sub was obviously still bothered because she started going to every empty seat in the room and asking who normally sat there. This part was kind of funny, because the seat in question was the furthest from her, so we got the gossip on every missing person before she finally got to his seat. She asked where that guy went and we all said "Ohhhh...yeah...haven't seen him in awhile..." So she called in the teacher next door and wrote him up. And then some other girl realized what was going on and said "Oh, I saw him talking to that girl over there!" The "girl over there" was one who knew he was missing and hadn't told, so she wasn't very thrilled with getting called out. The thing is, I didn't see him talk to her, and I was pretty sure it hadn't happened.
It hadn't. She had been talking to a different guy, the one who kept disappearing but also coming back. So the lady who was trying to tattle starts cracking up and says "Oh, well, they all look alike, who cares?" I kid you not, she really said that. And I thought it was pretty racist against men, because that was pretty much the only thing those two had in common....
And what does it say about my life right now that I really want to grill that guy tomorrow on what he did during his free time so that I may live a little vicariously through him....maybe he took a nap, or got a pizza, or sat down and listened to his iPod....wow. He's my hero.
