As Mr. Williams noted, fame and success have a downside. On Monday, as soon as I walked into school, I was greeted by a staff member who said, “I saw you on TV last weekend! You were great!” I tried not to be shocked; it is a nationally aired program, and this is a very conservative and religious school. Probably a lot of people saw it. I have to say, though, I sure wasn’t expecting that, and I wasn’t prepared for how uncomfortable it made me feel. Something about different worlds colliding, I guess.
Later in the day, as we were praying before class, I noticed two students whispering and giggling, their eyes directed at me. They usually don’t try to get away with that in my class, so I asked them what was going on. Reluctantly, one of them smiled shyly. “We saw you singing on TV.” I tried not to let my embarrassment show, remembering that I was still In Charge. “Oh, you did?” I tried to sound breezy and unconcerned. “I didn’t know you could sing like that!” she continued. “And you were so well-spoken!”
I felt heat creeping into my face. “I’m glad you liked it,” I said, and started to ask them to take out their books. Someone asked a question about the segment, though, and another student answered from the other side of the classroom. “You saw it too?” I questioned. She nodded, as did several others. I was definitely blushing now, something that I have only done two or three times in my life. “Wow! How about that. Well, let’s get star –”
“What station is it on?” another student piped up. “I want to watch it now!”
The first student who had commented said, “Check your e-mail.”
“Lisa!” I said, aghast. “How many people did you tell?”
“Pretty much everyone in my Contacts list.”
Oh. Okay. Lent may be over, but I am still learning humility.