"True hope is swift, and flies with swallow's wings."
-- William Shakespeare

I’m at a party and someone asks me what I do, I never say that I’m a math

teacher.  I used to… and I learned my lesson on that one!  I’d barely get out,

“I’m a math teacher…” and I’d get whapped in the face with a 20 minute

dissertation on how much the person hated math…  or how much trouble their

kid was having with math... or how much trouble their best friend’s,

husband’s, cousin’s kid was having with math.  Everyone’s got a story and

they wanted to tell it to me… at parties!  Now, don’t get me wrong, I don’t really

mind hearing their stories…  It’s what I do for a living…  But, heck, I just want

to have fun at a party, not have to work!  This must be how it is for

psychologists…  “Oh, you’re a psychologist?  Hey, I have this friend who has

this problem…”

          As for me, I stopped introducing myself as a math teacher years ago.  I’m

always tempted to tell people that I’m a “rhinotillextician” and just watch them

get really baffled and walk away. FYI, a rhinotillextician is a professional nose

picker.  Although, I doubt that this is an actual job.  (Even though I know a

couple of people who might make a good living at it – especially if they could

work while driving!) 

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