A Devil-Maya-Care Attitude

(I am a school librarian and I take some students aside for reading practice in the afternoon. We are reading about airplanes.)

Fifth Grader: “Ms. [my name], have you ever flown in a plane?”

Me: “Yes, I have. In fact, my boyfriend owns a small plane that looks a lot like the one on this page.” *points at a page in book*

Fifth Grader: “You’re not married?”

Me: “No. Let’s go on to the next page…”

Fifth Grader: “And you’re not engaged?”

Me: “No, not yet. Let’s go on with the book…”

Fifth Grader: “That’s so sad! I feel so bad for you!”

Me: “There’s no need to feel bad.”

Fifth Grader: “But the world is going to end in two weeks, and you won’t be married! And if you’re in the same bed when it happens, you’ll go to h***!”

(I talked to the student’s teacher, and she told me that a few students in her class had been informed by their parents that the world is ending this month. One student in her class has stopped doing school work entirely!)