For some strange reason, the students are not allowed to have liquid White-Out. Okay, the reason is probably because some adult believes all children sniff liquid White-Out to get high. That adult would be wrong. That's what copy room workers do. (No, they don't. Relax. Sniff some White-Out.) Today, however, one of the students hands over a container of liquid to a kiddo nearby.
"What the ... Dude! This is NOT White-Out."
The student who owns the liquid reminds me of Flower Children from the 60's. You know the ones -- Hippies' children. Kids who think coffee is mud and Oreos are dried poop because their parents are raising them eating grains from the fields alongside the family goats. My student is a charming young man but laid back. Very laid back.
"Yes, it is!"
The recipient holds up the squeeze bottle. "It's PAINT."
"White-Out!"
"PAINT, Dude, PAINT, PAINT, PAINT!" At this point, the student who tried to use the makeshift White-Out starts blowing on the wet blob and watches it drip across his paper.
I head over, somewhat glad for the interruption to my book sorting, and I put my hand out for the bottle. Sure enough, it's a container of craft paint, a puffy-style paint, to be exact. My student's White-Out is actually clothing paint sold in fabric stores and craft stores.
The first student starts to protest. I toss it back to him and return to my original task. It is here that I notice white paint all over my hands and some on my brown pants. Pissah. Now I have fabric paint on my fabric clothing.
Aha! I get it now. This is the reason students are not allowed to have liquid White-Out -- They'll ruin their clothes. Or my clothes, as the case may be. That's what I get for not minding my own business.
