"Teacher, can I use my phone now?"
This is normally not encouraged during class. It was 9:30 – halfway through the last hour of class.
"Can't this wait until after class ends?" I asked.
"I need to call my mom," she explained.
"Um… why do you need to call your mom?"
Pause. "I have to tell to get a ride home."
"I see. Well, I guess that's important," I acquiesced.
A moment later, after fishing around her backpack, she said, "I can't find my phone. Can I use my iPad to send a text message?"
I shrugged. "One way, or another. But can you get it done? So we can continue with class?"
She fiddled with her iPad for a moment, then looked up. "Actually, uh… I just remembered, I rode my bike."
"So you don't need to call your mom?"
She nodded. It's worth noting that this girl, finishing up the 7th grade, is the absolute highest-scoring student at Karma, right now. And although she speaks with a noticeable Korean accent, in terms of grammar and vocabulary I'd give her the lead in a comparison with any US teenager. But she's a bit of an airhead.
[daily log: walking, 6.5km]
sounds like a typical American teen!