A Teachable Moment

Even though I agree with Lake Superior State University that the phrase “teachable moment” should be vanished from our collective vocabulary, I think I actually had one yesterday. or at least I had a moment and I turned it into a lesson.

My students have been struggling (mostly) with their most recent assignment Narrating a PERSONAL EXPERIENCE. I know they know how to tell stories, because that’s all they really do (it’s a Deaf Culture thing), so I’m beginning to suspect that it’s the structure and the limitations I’ve put on their story-telling abilities – “one specific moment told in interesting clarity” – that’s giving them agida. And I’ve been giving examples of how to do this out the wazoo, to varying degrees of success.

Then yesterday, something happened to me on the way home from work that I thought might be the best example yet. I typed it up in an email and sent it out to my students with the hopes that their love of the arabesque (seriously; one student wrote about ripping open his scrotum on a spiked fence post) would connect to the experience, and maybe help them with their own writing. Here’s what happened (broken down into sections so my students can see what each looks like):

TOPIC SENTENCE:

Yesterday while driving home, I had a heated verbal exchange with another driver which I later felt badly about.

BACKGROUND:

I think I am a safe driver even if my friends disagree with me. They say I drive too fast, that I’m impatient, and that I should stop yelling at other drivers when they make a mistake. I tell them that in the last 20 years I have only had three tickets (for allegedly running red lights, which I still think were all bogus) and no accidents. None of them can say the same.

BODY:

Be that as it may, on my way home yesterday, it was raining, which means I had to drive more attentively since Austin drivers tend to forget how to drive in the rain. On the 183/Airport Boulevard exchange, a lady in the car next to me tried to merge into my lane, almost hitting me. To avoid her, I pulled all the way over to the side of the road, honked, then resumed driving. I passed her as soon as I could.

A little bit down the road, I came to a stop light. While waiting for it to turn green, the door of the truck in front of me opened, and a woman stepped out. She glared at me and yelled, “You’re too close to me!”

Unsure I had her her right, I said, “Sorry?”

“You’re driving to close to me! That’s why you almost hit that lady back there!”

That was not why the lady and I had almost collided, but I was too incensed to want to discuss it. Instead, I retorted, “Well, I haven’t hit you yet, so try not to worry.”

She got even more angry and yelled, “It’s raining out. You need to back away from my car.”

Now thoroughly upset, I responded, “Thanks for the advice. Where should I send the Mother’s day card?”

“I mean it! Back off or I’ll call the police!”

And, I, unfortunately, said, “Put down the Ding-Dongs or I’ll call Weight watchers!” (She was… husky.)

Now she was completely upset with me, and started to walk towards my car. But before she could reach my window, I ducked down in my seat, covered my face with my arms and started screaming, “I’m sorry! I’m sorry! Just don’t eat me! I’m sorry!”

She stopped dead in her tracks, stunned, then started crying.

Luckily at that moment, the light turned green, and put my car into gear and drive around her, my heart pounding with righteous indignation.

I made my way home, muttering angrily to myself the entire time. However, by the time I reached my front door, it occurred to me that I had really argued dirty. This woman who had to tell me to drive “better” was probably doing so out of concern for her own safety. Again, Austin drivers do not drive well in the rain. I know that, and she probably did too. So, I felt a little bad about bringing up her weight when that wasn’t really what the argument was about.

CONCLUSION:

It is unlikely I will see this particular woman again, but in the future I will try to remember to be polite to other drivers on the road.

The ending is a bit saccharine, but with a certain staff member who is looking for any excuse to bitch to my boss about me, I decided to ameliorate any possible offense by taking the mea culpa road. I’ve already posted about this on Facebook, so it’s out there in the public forum already, but I haven’t said how much is true and how much is my (very angry) imagination (see ASMD!!! and Rise of the Pink Ninjas). I’m trying to teach my students to be good liars by being one myself.

I’m excited to see what they give me on Tuesday. I mean, if I’m allowed to go anywhere near them.