Curious Incidents of a Flailing Mermaid

The Drama Teacher

30-Day Blogging Challenge – Day nine
Prompt: Has something funny happened to you this week? Awkward? Potentially shameful, until you looked back later and realized it wasn't so bad? Tell us about it. And if this has been a boring week for you, write about an experience that maybe wasn't so funny when it happened, but makes people laugh now when you retell the story about it


This week has been pretty boring. I haven’t been bored, per se: It is rather rare that I get bored. I’ve just felt pretty boring! I’m sure we’ve all had days/weeks like that?

So, now I need to think of a story that might make you laugh…

Hmm okay I have one. You may or may not find this funny, but I do, so humour me!

Before Christmas I went to an event held at a school. It was basically a sports day specifically for school students with special needs. Most of the kids have complex impairments so it is a way to get them to take part in sport where they may not otherwise get the opportunity. It sounds patronising, but it really isn’t. I wouldn’t have been to loads of them if I thought they were.

So, I arrived and chatted to the organisers, who I know relatively well now, for a while. Then I spotted the teacher who had arranged for me to attend come into the hall with her students and a few other staff. So, obviously, I excused myself and went over to say hello.
Note: I was in my wheelchair and a few my medals were on my lap ready for me to show the kids throughout the day.

I said hi to the teacher and exchanged pleasentries etc. Next to the teacher was a young looking lady, who I assumed was about nineteen and was a learning support assistant at the school we were in. This lady clocked my medals on my lap and…

Lady: Oh my god, have you won medals already? (in a very very strong Essex accent  )
Me: errm…ye-
Lady: I didn’t think we’d started yet
Me: Well, no-
Lady: Have you done this before?
Me: err
Teacher: No, Fran is a retired Paralympian, those are Paralympic medals.
Lady: Oh wow! Well if you win today you’ll get even more!
Me: err. Well, no…
Teacher: *sigh* No, Fran is our VIP guest today
Lady: oooooohhhh. So where are you from?
Me: Cambridge
Lady: gosh, that’s hours way!
Me: Nah, only about forty minutes :)

I should stop here to explain that I do not look under 16 (I wish), which is who this competition was aimed at. And my medals are 1000 times bigger and more impressive than the ones they were handing out that day.

She obviously saw my wheelchair and… well, confuses easily. Therefore, I had to hide my shock when she later told me she was a qualified teacher at a mainstream school down the road. When she told me she taught drama, I think my “ahhh” (that makes sense) was slightly too obvious and audible. I had to mask it with a cough.

Lest we judge!


(I think you had to be there! *shrug* )