Baggage

I bumped into an ex-pupil today. Let's call him... umm... Kyle. I taught him over a year and a half ago for only one term. Anyway, he saw me before I saw him, so he called my name (which is always nice) and I went over to him and asked him how he's been since I stopped working at his school. He was pleasant and courteous, but he made it clear he wasn't going to let me go without clearing something up.

"You moved me down a set," he said, looking me straight in the eye.

"Sorry?"

"You moved me down. Before you left ___ School, you said I should be moved down a set."

"Well, I didn't move you down for a personal reason. It's just something that happens. Teachers get together and decide who needs to be moved down and who needs to be moved up... and I guess your name was put forward as someone who should be moved down."

"Yeah, well, I got a B anyway, so that shows all you lot were wrong."



"Well, Kyle, why don't we just say that maybe you got a B because you got moved down and therefore felt you needed to prove someting to all us lot?"

At which point he grinned and said, "Yeah, maybe"... but of course I walked away thinking I'll always remain The Teacher Who Moved Him Down.