Veteran Mentor

Principal Diggin's chubby jowls jiggled as he talked

"Being middle schoolers now is a big responsibility
We consider you to be our veterans
And now that you are in sixth grade I expect more of you
One of your new jobs will be to mentor the elementary kids
So I expect you to take them under your wings and help out"

With that short speech in mind
Is how I found myself on the school bus
In the second to last row
With a fourth and a fifth grader
Discussing swear words

I was trying to correct their misconceptions

"No no no, hell really isn't a swear word
It doesn't matter what your parents say
I'm here to tell you"

I tried to look all knowing and veteran-y

"What you've basically got
Is a swear triangle
On the corners of your swear triangle
You'll find the base words that you work with:
Shit, Ass, and Fuck
You go ahead and build off of those for most anything
Adding words or phrases in front of or behind them
Understand?"

The two younger kids looked at me with wide eyes
Impressed, no doubt, by the knowledge bomb I had just dropped

So I sat back and bounced along with the bus
Watching and listening as my two students tried out words
I smiled and nodded at their phrasing
Not really shocked by any of it
Knowing they'd get the hang of it

Just another day in the life
For a veteran like me