lucy

Two days ago my manager found a cigarette butt in the trashcan of the girls' bathroom. My coworkers and I speculated as to who the culprit could be. I picked "Lucy", a 12 year old girl who can't wait to grow up. Yesterday, my manager caught Lucy smoking in the bathroom. Do I know my students or what?

This is kind of disturbing, for a few reasons. First, she's a twelve year old girl. What the hell is she doing smoking? Second, the fact that she was smoking in our bathroom proves that she's either as dumb as a box of shit, or she wanted to get caught. Third, women who smoke in this country don't have the best reputation. Despite the fact that about half of the male population of this great land smoke tobacco, very few women do. A woman smoking is stigmatized in a way, seen as perhaps having lose morals? Sluts. People pretty much assume they're sluts.

Lucy's not the best student I've ever taught, not a "world beater" I guess you could say, but she's got more personality than most, and her class is more fun to teach when she's around. So I worry about her. In the short term, I'm worried she'll show up with a fresh bruise or two after her parents hear about this. In the long term, I hope that in ten years time she hasn't ended up as one of this country's infamous coffee girls.