Friday, March 24, 2006

Logged Hours: My lunch with Frank McCourt (or, why teaching is a thankless job):

Me: Mr. McCourt, do you keep in touch with any of your former students?
FMcC: They keep in touch with me.
Lunch guests: (laughter)
Mrs. FMcC: Tell her about the Moose story, Frank!
FMcC: Oh, the Moose story.
Lunch guests: Yeah! Moose story! Yeah! (incomprehensible mumbling)
FMcC: Alright, alright. So I was walking along the street one day, and I ran into one of my old students, who came up to me. He said, "Hey, Mr. McCourt! Remember me? I was one of your students!" and I said, "Yeah, Moose Klein, I remember you." So he says, "Yeah! I was in your class at Stuy!" and I said, "Yes, Moose, I know."
"I was in your creative writing class!"
"YES, Moose, I know."
"I was in your creative writing class for a year and a half!"
"Moose! I know!"
"Yeah, I was in your class for a year and a half, and because of that I'm a poet. And now I'm starving, so FUCK YOU!"