Things were different from where I was brought up. Not Better, Not Worse, Just Different.
(1) My ex was also a high school English teacher in rural New Hampshire. She tried her hand at dog breeding. One night the Shar-Pei had puppies, and as one who always did the right thing, she stayed up all night making sure the delivery went well. The next day she made it to class (it's often more trouble to just go in to work than stay home).
She announced to the class that she had been up all night delivering and taking care of the new puppies and that if she seemed a bit out of it, that was why. A student raised his hand and said, "Do you want us to drown them for you?"
(2) One girl had been acting up in several classes, so a meeting was called to compare notes and discuss what could be done - to see what strategies might help her. One of the first suggestions was
to call her parents. Someone responded immediately: "Not a good idea; her father will beat the shit out of her!"
(3) Finally, a rare compliment. During one class, two girls in the back of the room were having their own animated conversation. Before I could say anything, one girl loudly said to the other, "Shut up!" I responded, "Don't say that! My daughter is four-years-old and knows not to say that!" The girl said, Yeah, well look who she has for a father!" That felt good.
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