Thursday 22 July 2010

Seeing ghosts (sort of)

Yesterday, when I was walking back home, I saw some of my former students. Nothing special so far, it happened before. I said I saw some former students, but to be more precise they saw me. What I saw was a bunch of teenagers, and one of the girls in the small group shouted: "Oh my God! It's that French teacher!" Don't know if that was a good thing or not. She then said "Hello sir!" in a polite yet not quite friendly way. Without their school uniforms, I don't really recognise them. I don't remember her, or any of the other teens that were at that street corner. They just look like kids. It is not from a distant past, yet my last teaching job is as blurry as if it was in another lifetime. Maybe I am really over it.

That is one problem I still have as long as I live here, as my former workplace was local: I see my former students, even when I don't remember them. I will be always labelled here as "that French teacher". Even when they don't say a thing, there is always the glance they have at me that tells me they recognise me, noticed my presence. Anonymity here is very relative. There are more awkward moments, but still, I will not miss this particular aspect of life here when we finally decide to leave this town. It sometimes feels like seeing yesterday's ghosts, if that makes sense. In a way, I am also a ghost to them.

4 comments:

PJ said...

Les adolescents se ressemblent tous, peu importe l'époque...

Gwen Buchanan said...

Hi Guillaume, Although I am not a teacher... I know exactly what you mean... small village eyes and ears escape nothing 'round here.. especially when one is still a relative newcomer..

...there are times when we crave anonymity very much.. must be why we walk at midnight...

Guillaume said...

PJ-Oh que oui! C'est étonnant qu'on aspire à être si différent à cet âge alors que l'on est tellement conformiste.
@Gwen-I don't live in a village, but a small town is barely better in that regard. I enjoy the anonymity or urban life, yet even there one cannot stay completely anonymous. Oh, and walking by midnight? You might start rumours like this!

Gwen Buchanan said...

oh walking at midnight is the best.. no car lights in our eyes and it is quiet.. only the bats, the owls and the resident skunks and foxes...