Sunday, October 17, 2010

Dr. Death?

Joel was a substitute teacher for the Sunday school class comprised of 15, 16 and 17 year olds. If that wasn't scary enough, they were in the middle of Isaiah which, if you know anything about biblical prophets, is one of the most complicated to understand.

But Joel is a smart guy. Actually a lot smarter than people give him credit for.

About halfway through the hour, one girl raised her hand to ask a question. When she was 14 and I was her teacher, I loved having her in my class. She is one of the few teenagers I have met who seems genuinely comfortable with herself. I know all teenagers go through tough times, even if they are only internally, but she seemed to be the most take-me-as-I-am adolescent I'd ever met. She would ask thoughtful questions and give positive feedback. And maybe part of loving her was the teenager in me wishing I could have been like that. But the point is, when she raises her hand, you never know exactly what kind of question she'll ask, because she isn't out to impress anyone - just educate herself.

When Joel called on her, she responded in her usual nearly bored, almost monotone, voice, "Uhm...are you a doctor?"

Joel, momentarily caught off guard, kind of laughed and said, "No. What makes you think that?" The truth is, we have a lot of doctors in our ward (that's the immediate gathering group, in case you're not up on your LDS lingo). And dentists. And accountants. Not a lot of creative type, however.

"You're just really smart. And you talk like you're smart. And you're kind of funny. I don't know, you sound like a doctor."

Joel, now thoroughly amused as he contrasted his profession with that of a doctor: the hours of education, the working environment, and most glaring of all the SALARY, shook his head before shrugging, "This is Isaiah. Anyone can sound smart if they've studied Isaiah. I'm not a doctor, that's for sure. I'm like the total opposite of a doctor."

You see where this is headed, right? Because the smartypants 17-year-old boy in the back sure did.

"You mean you're an assassin?!"

"Yes. That's it exactly. And now back to Isaiah..."

Come to think of it, there have been some late nights that I can't account for his whereabouts...

4 comments:

Allison said...

Duuuuuuude. I knew I'd never want to be on Joel's bad side. I mean, I didn't think he had one. But if he did, I wouldn't want to be on it. Now I know why.

You guys could totally be Mr. & Mrs. Smith.

Annie said...

Funny. I like Joel.

Lisa said...

That explains a lot.

:)

Anne said...

hilarious...and totally believable.