Andrew
Well, I have crates of songs I've written to help the students
learn English.
Gilbert
Yes I saw the comment, "And he makes you sing with him."
Andrew
stunned, short pause
"And he makes you sing with him"?
Gilbert
Oh, you know how students can be when they have the anonymity of the Internet.
Andrew
You saw that comment online?
Gilbert
Well, I didn't exactly see it myself. Frobisher showed it to me. He was doing a search to find your office number, and that just came up.
Andrew
"And he makes you sing with him"?
Gilbert
I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you feel bad. I thought it was more a commentary on the students' lack of appreciation than on the singing.
Andrew
"And he makes." Did they remember to put on the final s? That makes it sound like an inside job!
Gilbert
I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have told you. I feel awful.
Andrew
You shouldn't feel awful that you've told me something that I should have realized on my own. I've known for years that there was no...rapport...between most of my students and me. But there was a time when they enjoyed the songs.
Gilbert
I'm sure they still do! That was just one comment. One mean-spirited student. To tell you the truth, I feel quite a lot of anxiety taking this job. I'm from the east coast, and I got hired when people here had a lot more seniority. I'll bet I could find some fairly negative comments about myself online!
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