Oh, 9th graders

Me: "So, what character traits does Troy exhibit on the first two pages of the play?"

Girl: "He is outspoken, because he goes to the boss about all the black men lifting the trash and all the white guys driving."

Boy: "Wait, wait, real talk, though: Black people are stronger than white men."

Me: "Uhhhh. Aren't you stereotyping?"

Boy: "No. Real talk."

Me: "Really? I can bench press 225 pounds. How about you?"

Boy: "..."

This is the same kid who answered "white people" during a pre-reading questions for this poem about what kind of people would expect a beach to be combed free of footprints every morning.

He's actually one of my new favorites -- he's totally engaged for each of the fifty minutes of class periods, paying me the ultimate compliment of 100% attention -- but he sure says some goofy things.