“I Had To Explain What A ‘Rerun’ Means”: Teachers Are Sharing The Moment A Student Made Them Feel Old

“A few years ago, there was a school spirit day themed to the 2000s (the week’s theme was ‘through the decades’). Just the day theme alone made me feel ancient, but then a girl showed up to my class wearing jeans under a spaghetti strap dress over a white tee, with a skinny scarf accent. I literally laughed so hard I was bent over, and struggled to tell her how accurate her outfit was. 

When I recovered, I told her, ‘I don’t care what you guys bring back, as long as it’s not low-rise jeans.’ She looked at me, confused, and said, ‘Oh, I think they’re cute!’ Cue a rant from me about how low-rise jeans are TERRIBLE unless you have the skinniest stick figure, and even then you’re always worried your whole butt is falling out, you have to pull them up every time you sit, every time you stand, every time you move. ‘LEARN FROM OUR MISTAKES!’ I shouted, but apparently they didn’t.”

—anonymous, 31, California