Hello Miss

One weekend I was out with my husband in the local shopping centre. A boy in one of my classes greeted me. On theHis face Monday in the classroom he said “I saw you at the shops Miss holding hands with your husband!”
I mischievously replied “ ssh please don’t tell anybody but he’s not my husband.”
His face!

Try being a community mental health nurse bumping into your patients when off duty ?

It never bothered me at all, and many of my former students are now, albeit at a bit of a distance, friends on Linked in or Facebook. I am just delighted to learn how so very many of them, the vast majority, have had such useful and interesting lives and are happy to keep me, as it were, “in the loop”.

I am a lecturer; I am not yet retired but this drove my Mum and still drives my kids in sane, as I can’t go anywhere without bumping into present or past students.
When my husband was dying many of the nurses were past students, whom I had taught on an access course.

I work on an Access to education course and A’level courses I have changed quite a few lives. So, I guess people always want to talk to me and view me as a friend.

Once a police officer jumped out of a car and stopped me in town. I though ‘Oh no what have I done’. It was a passed student who had had a rough life but joined an access to public services course, she had stuck with it and got into the force. Stories like that are wonderful and always a pleasure to see these students.
I am ok with it but it can be embarrassing when someone remembers me and I think who the heck are you? Also, not all students are nice so that can be awkward.

I always lived at least 30 miles or more from schools I taught in. Very occasionally I've encountered students, only once did a 6th former tell me he had travelled to my home town and checked the electoral roll to find my address. Shame I'd just moved in the last school holiday!

I love bumping into former pupils. I've had quite a few discounts from them for household goods or services, which has been lovely. Living in a village and not being able to drive meant that I relied on buses for visiting local towns. One summer holidays my daughter and I were on different buses over three days and every day one of the childminders was on with the same children who greeted me with, 'Hello Miss'. It was quite funny and I enjoyed it really.

Another time I was in hospital, feeling very ill with gallstones, and the lady in the next bed was a parent and was visited by my former pupils. I was in no mood then for polite exchanges, unfortunately.

I had my tail bone removed at a different time and had my dressing changed daily by a district nurse. I had no idea that she was a grandma of a pupil until she came up to me in the playground when I was back teaching and asked how I was.

I must say that I do miss teaching but am so glad that I missed out on this year.

My father was a teacher (or schoolmaster, as he would have said) and always emphasised how important it was to live nowhere near his school.

What shocks me is the idea that a pupil would address a teacher as “Miss” without the surname. It would never have been allowed in my school.

On holiday with my parents when I was young, we were appalled when a patient of Dad's interrupted us as lunch to discuss a stool sample she'd brought to show him in a tobacco tin! Teachers don't have to deal with that sort of thing.

I retired a lot of years ago and always loved bumping into ex pupils especially older ones. And the would always be happy to see me and talk about their time in my classroom. Often complementing me. I felt very humble.
A friend of mine who is also retired for 10 years now and many of her ex students have got in touch with her(messages of course) and she loves it.

I’m in FE, I have lots of ex students on my FB. I love bumping into ex-students! I live quite a way from where I work so don’t often see current ones. I received a text at 10pm the other night and I was wondering who the heck it could be at that time when I discovered it was a young man who’d sadly been unable to complete his course last year and who was wondering if I’d be a referee for him. It was so lovely to hear from him that the lateness of the text was totally forgiven!!

I also do some work with tiddlers and love seeing them when I’m out and about!!

It’s the same for other professionals with patients, clients and even random people who discovered what you do and go in for a free consultation!

My DH was still in job when we were selling our house. A couple came to view with their children in tow, one of which was in his form class. After the shock from both sides and the ‘Hello Sir’ my DH made a quick exit with the dog.

I am a retired gynaecologist living in the same area I worked. I am often greeted by former patients in the supermarket. Occasionally I get asked for medical opinions over the produce.

Who goes into a profession thinking about who they might meet associated with it many years on. Teachers don't think at 21 Oh I might meet some of these youngsters When I've retired and not like it. If you stay local and have taught 30+ children for forty plus years, think how many ex-pupils there are.
If I meet my plumber in the street I say Hello but wouldn't dream of asking him about a blocked drain. Somehow people think teachers and medics live their job all the time.
We loved our jobs and the children when we did work with them but after retirement or on holiday, you want peace and to be anonymous.
Just thought of the worst one, a former pupil from school on "Love Island" luckily I never taught them when they were interviewed.

We used to play spot the teacher on holiday. They were usually sitting by the pool reading Charles Handy. My DH was over the moon when I decided I’d had enough of teaching because it meant we didn’t have to go away in school holidays. The golden rule is not to teach in the district where you live. I found that out the hard way when I was on teaching practice near our home.

I taught in HE and regularly used to meet ex-students in town - who then proceeded to tell me their life story since they graduated. In some ways it’s nice especially when they tell you that your subject made a huge difference. The awful thing is when you can’t remember their name!

Working in military schools one lived and socialised alongside pupils and parents. I once acted as crew for one of my sixth form pupils!
Back in UK I was once checking out at a supermarket and the young woman on the till said You're Mrs * who taught at ** school! I'm **, I were a right cow weren't I? I had to be honest and totally agree with her. She said that if her kids turned out anything like her she'd f**** kill them!

Most of the time, this wouldn't bother me at all. A quick conversation and I put it behind me. I did however have a boyfriend who, unbeknownst to me, had many friends who were parents at the school. We went to a Christmas "Do" where silly, drunken, party games were played and with all the parents there, I didn't feel able to join in. He got really cross about me being a party pooper when I wouldn't get drunk with him. He just didn't understand the word, "professionalism." That was the end of that relationship!
More recently, we went to Rome and a young lady with a school party kept looking at my husband who was jokingly terribly flattered at the attention. It was only when the teacher went to pay for the meal, we noticed the name on the bag was the one of my son's school. The young lady in question was an ex girlfriend who was trying to ascertain whether it was us. I had one deflated husband!

Like many other posters, the first thing I did on retirement was holiday during term time-which was more about the cheaper cost than bumping into ex pupils or parents. In all my years of teaching I only once met a pupil and their family on holiday-no issues arose although I did used to scan the area for their presence before plonking myself down on a sun bed

Two of the teachers from my son's former school live close to us - one about 10 houses away and another in a small street about 5 minutes away. Even with that proximity we have never seen them!!!
We have been known to see school staff (teachers and other support staff) in the town centre and its always been them who has spotted and spoken to us first!!

I met a grown up ex pupil who was smoking , and when he saw me he hid it behind his back ?

NotSpaghetti

This is an interesting thread.
Do you all miss it?

Yes and no. I would not have enjoyed teaching zoom lessons. I miss the students though and I loved my subject.

I like meeting ex students and am in touch with quite a few years later .

I have always lived in the catchment area of my schools, as I didnt drive then and could just walk to school. Never minded seeing children out of school when I taught infants, but when I taught top juniors I avoided them like the plague! If I met any on the bus I would get off at a different bus stop to avoid any of them finding out where I lived. Mind you I had some lovely pupils, and spent a long time once chatting over the bar in a local pub to the barmaid, who was doing holiday work. She was at university doing sports photography. Also one who had been the bane of my life who I met on the bus, and told me proudly that he had just joined the army.

Was in hospital once recovering after an operation, and the two domestics on the ward were both mums of former infant pupils "What are you doing in here Mrs D?" was the cry. Followed by a long chat about female ailments, as it was pretty obvious which ward I was on!

Never met any on holiday, but the first thing we did on my retirement was to book a holiday in September!

And no I don't miss the teaching, but I do miss the company of colleagues.

I wasn't a teacher but I was a social worker in a large busy city. Eventually moved job and home to a smaller town about 12 miles away but travelled to the big city by bus one Saturday afternoon and was horrified when a couple got on whose children I had removed a couple of years back!
Fortunately we weren't too far away from the terminus and I had a newspaper with me and spent the next half dozen stops firmly hidden behind it!

I knew a retired teacher who was waiting in a queue for the post office, when he was grasped firmly by the shoulder by a very large policeman, who said 'Will you come along with me sir'
He was very relieved when he turned to see it was a grinning ex pupil.