The Real World

Was teaching Act II and the Requiem to Death of a Salesman to my college lit class last night when one of my students suddenly left the room.  Now, while I have been known to have that effect upon my students, this was one I knew really enjoyed my class; therefore, I was surprised when she left.

An hour and fifteen minutes later she returned and as the class was leaving, she asked to speak to me.   She apologized for leaving and then reminded me that she had gone through a nasty divorce last semester.  She showed me her phone with a picture on it and said that this was what she had been dealing with.

The picture?  Her ex with a pistol pointed at his head!  She said the police were on their way to his house and that she was headed there too.  I told her to let me know what happened.

After that, another student came up and apologized for not getting an assignment in.  Her reason-- her dad had been arrested for beating her mom so badly that the mom had to be hospitalized.

Where in the scheme of things does my class fit?   Helps me keep things in perspective.