Crushed

I told my students last Thursday that I was not coming in on December 24th because I was the real Santa Claus, so I would be too busy to come to work and teach English. Despite my earlier assertion that Mommy and Daddy are really Santa, and despite my ongoing routine where I tell a big lie on Thursday morning, they believed this new information. It helped my credibility when all the other teachers played along. I told my students to ask anyone they liked, and everyone would say the same thing--That I am Santa Claus.

So imagine my students' disappointment when Christmas came and they got nothing. One girl said to me, "You lie. You are not Santa because I did not get a present." That's harsh. True, but harsh.

To salvage the situation, I explained that no, I am not really Santa, but I believe in Santa. And if you believe, then he's real. But, for him to come on Christmas, your parents have to believe, too. I told them that I still get presents from Santa (I do...my Mom sends them), and that my Mom still believes. I also pointed out that they all got a Christmas present from the school when we had our Christmas performance last week. This all helped a little, but I could tell they were still smarting from that meanest of life's lessons--that grownups suck.

I don't think any of them were too crushed. But somehow I imagine a few of my students sitting up on Christmas Eve waiting for a big jolly fat guy to bust in their door and hand them a present before flying away in a reindeer sleigh. A fat guy that looked...just...like...Teacher...Jason!!



p.s. For any concerned, the giant tsunami this week did not affect Taiwan.