A Perfect Ending

I had the most perfect ending to a conversation with one of my student's parents this morning before class began...

The parents of a student of mine named Ethan came and found me this morning before class started. They began to talk to me about their son, wondering if he's improving. They wanted to know if he's shaken his habitual and hysterical crying fits and punching of the other children yet... Good thing he has. As I was talking, Ethan's mom wanted us to go get her son, (apparently so we could continue our conversation in front of him) so we began to walk to his classroom. I took them downstairs to the room where I always drop him off, and his Dad said, "No, his classroom is upstairs." Though a bit confused, I took them upstairs. We quickly found out that was not his classroom. Ethan's dad whipped out his Chinese and finally asked a Chinese teacher where the K1 D classroom was. We then walked back downstairs and outside, around the building, and up another flight of stairs. Behold, there was Ethan's classroom. I never knew that was his classroom. I always march the K1 D kids to the room at the bottom of the stairs, the first place we went... which is correct, by the way. The only part I didn't know was that the children go through that classroom to their own - a shortcut, if you will. Who would have known?
As Ethan's parents and I headed for the main entrance of the school so they could leave and head to work, I said "goodbye" and "thanks for coming to find me and talk my ear off about your son who shouldn't be in my class" (shortened to "thanks for coming to find me", of course). I began to walk down the first floor hallway to my classroom (I was taking a different route that would put me at the staircase closer to my room). Ethan's mom noticed I wasn't walking up the staircase right in front of us, so she quickly tried to save me from embarrassment.

Ethan's Mom: Excuse me, Teacher Emily?
Me: Yes, ma'am?
Ethan's Mom: Your classroom is upstairs.

I simply responded by telling her I was only taking a different route. How seemingly scatterbrained I must appear to these people, and what a great encouragement to start my day. Heh.