It goes without saying that I did not plan to teach middle school math. 

Every time my 7th/8th grade math teacher (what a joy it must have been to educate me for two consecutive years!) busted out a new concept such as binomial factorization, I would quickly get past the glamour of being able to boast in my new skills and ask the obvious question: "When am I EVER going to use that in real life?!"  As a future lawyer and graduate of Princeton (B.A.) and Harvard (J.D.), I had no need for math in my life.  

Fast forward ten years to my first day of teaching seventh grade math.  I emailed Mr. Mills that morning to let him know I needed to retract all those years of complaints.  It turns out I would use that math every day.  Well, not so much binomial factorization, but for sure the idea that subtraction is the same as addition of the opposite sign.  

Today, one of my old middle and high school friends texted me before school started.  She is substitute teaching at our alma mater and happened to be the acting Mr. Mills for the day.   Clayr sent me the following picture, still posted in Mr. Mills' room.  Check me out on the far left, rocking my private school uni: 

There is no excuse for such a high-waisted skirt.  Or such tall socks.  I know Madre will claim that she informed me of the dorkiness of those socks, but it is a lie.  She never made any effort to dissuade me from wearing them.  I also can't figure out why only three other people in the class were wearing their uniforms that particular day.  This picture was from 8th grade.  Clayr said my 7th grade class picture was hanging up too.  Like I said, teaching me for two years was an obvious privilege.  Who wouldn't want to remember that daily?