Hormonally-Charged Little People

So, over the past few weeks I’ve been a bit perplexed by a certain situation. I have a particular student–we’ll call him Bob to protect the socially-challenged. Bob is very tall for a twelve-year-old, an average student, and his behavior used to be right in line with the typical boy. Yes, he believes that knocking down his friends and laughing when someone makes a mistake will earn him the Gold Medal for Super Personality. He’s in my homeroom English class and also my afternoon history class.

In the past few weeks or so, Bob has gone from being a normal boy, to a spaz. He blurts out whatever is on his mind at the time.

Me: “Who can name the causes of the Great Depression?”
Bob: “I have to blow my nose.”
Me: (ignoring Bob) “Anyone?”
Bob: (laughs hysterically and gets a tissue. Tries to shoot the tissue into the wastebasket and fails miserably.)

For the longest time, I questioned many different possibilities. Was Bob just being a goof-off? :loser: Why was he so different from first period until fourth? Did aliens snatch his brain and eat it? (Always a possibility, with middle-schoolers)

Then, my Inspector Gadget mind went to work. I suddenly discovered that Bob was blowing his nose a LOT. Now, yes, it is cold season. But the boy was using enough Kleenex that I wondered if his sinuses were, in fact, inhabited by the aforementioned aliens.

Clue #2: Bob would walk across the room to the trash can furthest from his desk, to throw the used tissue away. He would hover over the trash can and blow his nose yet AGAIN.

Hmmm….

So yesterday, I watched him and I saw his face get the goofiest grin while he blew his nose at least three times. Bob found a girl that he likes. And her chair happens to be right by the trashcan.

As you can imagine, she is falling all over herself in love with Snot Boy. Because, after all, what is more romantic than having a boy blow his nose right next to your chair? Repeatedly?

Poor girl.