A few weeks into the school year I was using PowerPoint and a projector to teach part of my math lesson. At some point of my lesson, I grabbed a meter stick to point out and highlight things I was teaching. One of my students in the front decided to turn around and talk with his friend, and the whole table group became immersed in their little conversation. To this day I have no idea what caused me to do it, but instead of asking the students to quit talking I hit the meter stick down on one of the desks. I didn’t swing hard, but the stick hit the desk flush and made a really loud crack. The entire room stopped dead and I continued my lesson like nothing had happened. That afternoon when I picked my kids up from specials, the P.E. teacher said, “So, I hear you have a whacking stick.” Little did I know what this innocent name that one of my students had given my meter stick would blossom into.
Over the next few weeks, my ‘whacking stick’ became the buzz of the 5th grade. Of course, I had to play into it. I carried it everywhere I went, smacked countless desks, and not once denied using it for disciplinary purposes. Deep down inside however, I found it absolutely hilarious that they referred to it as my ‘whacking stick.’ Even more hilarious was that they all wanted to use it and imitate me.
So… why is this posted aptly named “Warning, Adult Content”? Imagine the many times I’ve had to bite my tongue when students say “Mr. Lin, I never get to touch your whacking stick!” Do you know how many times have I wanted to tell kids “Never touch another man’s whacking stick”? Perhaps the best story of all was when they asked my girlfriend way back in September, “Does he smack you with his whacking stick?” Um, no. We’re waiting for marriage for that. Seriously… in what other job do you get this kind of amusement?
