I just started helping to teach an English course this past week. I wondered how different my life was to these students, I mean they are just kids, and I’m just a kid, right? And how am I supposed to teach kids who are only a few years younger than me? I am only nineteen, I am the youngest out of the group and often referred to as “the baby”. When will I stop being a kid and be an actual person? This is probably a question people have been wondering since the dawn of day, but it is still important to wonder. What age am I supposed to feel like? I’ve heard friends getting engaged and having kids and just the thought of anything along those lines makes me have a hot flash or something. I can’t imagine how old the people must feel who are actually getting married and having kids. I am just a bystander and feel horrified. I felt like I was sleeping in my tutu one day and just woke up in a bed in France. It is so strange, I mean my cousin is in the Coast Guard and bakes cookies in her free time, others have their significant others, and Pop Pop is wondering when he is getting great grandkids from the oldest. (It’s ok, though, I’m off the hook, and I’m one of the youngest) What happened to the days when Pinterest was the only source of wedding ideas? It honestly makes me feel so old, and I am one of the youngest in my family. I can’t imagine what my older cousins are feeling; in the not so distant future, there will be more of us. I am simply not prepared for this: how many “Schaumbergs” does the world really need?
The best part of this whole feeling about my age is that the class refers to me as “Mrs. Schaumberg.” I understand, that it is a sign of respect and they are simply trying to learn English. But MRS? When I hear “Mrs. Schaumberg” I automatically assume the person is referring to my mother, not me. I do not think I am old enough to be called… “Mrs. Schaumberg…” I have been referred to as Miss my entire life and then abruptly it stopped. What happened? Shouldn’t there be an orientation or something about when you are stopped being called “Miss” in your life? I thought that by traveling to France, they would call me Mademoiselle. I have soon learned that the “modern” French have really stopped using Mademoiselle and women are referred to as “Madame” mainly (Honestly, one of the most shocking things I have ever learned).
I am probably the only person who truly cares about this predicament. I am not sure many people care if they are called Ma’am or Miss, but clearly you can see I take it very seriously. The biggest pet peeve I have is being called Ma’am. Usually, when I am “Ma’am-ed” (yes, I did make up a term) I tend to smile, turn away, wrinkle my nose, and possibly say something under my breath if given the appropriate location. Luckily I am not called Ma’am a ton, Miss is still fairly common and leaves me with some faith for humanity, but being called “Mrs. Schaumberg” makes me feel the exact same way. I am beyond excited to be working with French students, but not the whole “Mrs.” thing. Especially since they are old enough to be compared to my cousins and that I, quite frankly, do not feel old enough to teach high school aged students.