- 5/21/2025
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00:00All right, here's a weird one for you. I accidentally became a teacher at 14. Yep,
00:05you heard that right. I taught my own classmates for weeks. Growing up, my parents were super
00:10intense about my education. They were both professors at the local university. Dad was
00:15a professor of mathematics and mom was head of psychology. 60% of kids without a master's degree
00:20are said to be clinically sadder than those without. They were basically prepping me for
00:25Ivy League school from the right old age of five. Mom, can I play in the sandbox? No, honey. The
00:31sandbox isn't going to help you get into a good college. You need to master your ABCs first. But
00:36no matter how hard I tried, I just wasn't good at school. I just didn't see the point. What would I
00:42learn there that would help me achieve my true passion? Dancing. Ever since I was young, just the
00:47sound of the garbage truck backing up would make me bust a move. Honey, are you feeling okay? One
00:52morning. While I was choreographing a new dance for the school talent show, my parents stormed into
00:57the room like two furious prosecutors ready to deliver a life sentence. Becca, turn that noise
01:02off right now. I froze mid-move, one foot in the air, and held up my harmonica bottle like it was
01:08exhibit A. It's not music. It's my water bottle. Excuse me? Yeah, see? The bottle you guys gave me?
01:16It has a built-in harmonica cap. So technically, I'm hydrating and being a musical genius at the same
01:21time. Which, honestly, is pretty productive if you ask me. Wait, it does what? I took a deep breath
01:26and blew into the gap. A loud, shrill, whistle-like note filled the room. Ta-da! Best present ever!
01:33Becca, put the bottle down. We're serious. I sighed, but placed it down. We're very disappointed.
01:40You flunked three classes, and now you have to repeat the eighth grade. And as punishment,
01:44we're sorry, but you can't compete in the talent show. Oh, okay. Okay? That's it? You're not angry?
01:51Nah, I'm used to it. No good grades. No talent show. No future. No husband. I'll be outside. You
01:58know, dig in my own grave. Becca, don't be so dramatic. I picked up my harmonica bottle and
02:04played a slow, tragic tune. A funeral march, if you will. Too late. Ugh, Becca, we're serious. You
02:11need to get your priorities straight. Oh, I have priorities. Dance, talent show, become TikTok famous.
02:17Academics are like, hmm, six on the list. Well, they better move to first, or else. Fine. But I'm
02:24keeping my grave plot, just in case. To make things way, way worse, all my friends were all moving up
02:29without me. When I started eighth grade again, for the second time, I was totally ridiculed.
02:35Becca, how about you? What's six times six? Uh, 220? I think we need to send Becca back to third grade.
02:45Ha, idiots. Laugh it up now. Just wait until I'm your teacher. First lesson, advanced apologies 101.
02:52Homework, begging for mercy. I was miserable, but as I was walking home from school, I heard my favorite
02:58song playing, like it had come from the heavens. I followed the noise to a brick building. When I
03:03looked through the window, I saw a group of teenagers my age with their own totally distinct
03:08styles. Taking turns showing off their individual dance routines, they looked happy. I rushed home,
03:14ecstatic. Mom? Dad? I've seen the light. I found my calling. I need to join a modern dance class.
03:20Becca, sweetie, how about you find your calling in algebra first? Ugh, algebra doesn't call anyone,
03:26mom. It's like a spam call. Modern dance is my destiny. And your grades? What about those?
03:32I'll get my grades up. Straight A's. I'll even tutor other kids. Just let me dance.
03:39Fine, but if your grades don't improve, we're canceling everything.
03:43Yes, thank you. I won't let you down. Unless it's a backflip. Then I might.
03:47Becca. Sorry, couldn't resist. Thank you.
03:50Now all I had to do was figure out how to pull the grades thing off.
03:53I just needed to find... Genie! Genie was a bookish girl who was made fun of at the talent
03:58show last year for her terrible choreography. But one day in the bathroom, I caught her practicing
04:03a TikTok dance. Oh gosh, I didn't know anyone was in here. Look, I know you want to become a good
04:09dancer. Redeem yourself from last year's dumpster fire, right? Well, I have a proposition for you.
04:14I offered to teach Genie how to dance in exchange for letting me copy off her tests. Class was a little
04:20intimidating at first. Everyone seemed poised and confident, and I'd never shown anyone my routine
04:25before. But when the instructor put me on the spot, something primal kicked in. I just went for it. I
04:30had no idea if I was any good or not. And then, as I was mid-spin, I fell onto the floor hard. I was
04:36mortified. After class, I got a tap on my shoulder. It was a boy from class, and he had a sly smirk on
04:43his face. I totally thought he was going to make fun of me. I like your moves. They're very personal,
04:48full of emotion, deep. Wait, really? Before I could say anything else, like, you know, thank you,
04:53I heard a loud beep. Come on, honey. Let's go. Mom seemed to be in a salty mood when I got into the
04:59car. Did you have fun at class? So much fun. Good, because it's your last class. You've been expelled.
05:05You're grounded for the summer. What? Your math teacher caught you peeking over at Genie's desk.
05:10She questioned Genie, and she told her everything. We're so disappointed in you. I don't know where
05:15we went wrong. Genie, that traitor. Remind me when I become her teacher to give her detention every
05:20time she gets a correct answer. Guess who's staying after school forever, Genie? When we got home,
05:26I locked myself in my room, crying. My dreams of dancing were crushed. That summer, I was so depressed,
05:32I couldn't even bring myself to practice dancing in my room. I had all but given up on my dreams.
05:37When I bumped into none other than Freddy at a pizzeria, scarfing down my sadness with a full
05:42pie to the face. Hey, I know you. Hi. Dance class, right? You never came back. Mm-hmm. Yeah,
05:49I, um, it was a family emergency. Well, the next class starts in October. Hope to see you there.
05:55Uh-huh. Now I had to transform into a good studious learner, or my parents would never let me join the
06:00class. So the night before my first day at my new high school, I gave myself a little makeover.
06:05I grabbed a pair of scissors, chopped off my hair, replaced my contacts with glasses,
06:10and laid out my most scholarly outfit. The next morning, my parents' jaws dropped.
06:15Um, is that my daughter under those clothes?
06:19Yep. I've decided to take school seriously. You're right. It's important for my future.
06:24Oh my gosh, honey. We've been waiting 17 years for you to say that.
06:29But I've only been talking for 14 years. Oh, we know. You started talking later than the other
06:35kids, but better late than ever. And I only took two steps inside the school before I heard the
06:40principal calling my name. Miss!
06:43Yes, sir?
06:44You must be Miss Rosen, the new teacher. I thought you didn't get any of our voicemails that we
06:49couldn't find a substitute for a month. So glad you made it work. Your CV is impressive,
06:54and we're excited to have you as the homeroom slash English teacher for grade 9.
06:58Wow. I must have overdone the scholarly look, but the bell rang before I could respond.
07:03Uh, sorry. Gotta go. Don't want to be late for class.
07:07I walked into homeroom feeling intimidated and now old. All the kids knew each other. They were
07:12talking about their crushes and summer jobs and all the usual stuff. But then I heard them talking
07:17about something that put a pit in my stomach. So did you get through the summer reading list?
07:21Yeah, duh. I'm not gonna be an idiot like my mom. I want to get into a good college and marry a
07:26successful doctor. Wait, are you taking algebra or calculus? Summer reading? Calculus? I was in
07:32way over my head. I hadn't prepared for any of this. And I only had one month to get my grades up
07:38before dance class enrollment. I took the only seat available, which was right next to them.
07:42Hi, I'm nice mom hair. Seriously, my grandma has more fashion sense than you. You look like you
07:49could be our teacher. I had to stay studious. Wait, suddenly I had an idea. If I looked so much
07:55like this teacher, I stood up and confidently strutted to the front of the classroom. That's
08:00because I am your teacher. Yep, Miss Rosen. Why not play into it, right? I was just doing a little
08:06social experiment to see how you kids act when the teacher isn't around. And I gotta say, I'm very
08:12disappointed with a few of you. The bully's faces went pale. Now everyone, take your seats and pipe
08:19down while I take attendance. I shuffled through the desk, but I couldn't find the attendance list.
08:24Miss Rosen must have had it. You know what? Why don't you tell me your name so I don't pronounce
08:28them wrong? I had no idea what I was doing. But it occurred to me that I'd have better luck giving
08:33myself good grades if I was my own teacher, right? Plus, I'd have access to all the test answers.
08:38I only had to keep it up for a month. Couldn't be that hard. Okay, class, today I want you to think
08:44about your favorite book from the summer reading list and tell me what spoke to you about it. Be
08:49specific. I had the students opening up, talking about literature and having a whole dialogue with
08:54each other. And all I had to do was sit back, ask some questions, and let the students take over.
09:00Exactly. I agree with Anne. I liked the plot. I just didn't connect with the main character.
09:04Why don't you think you connected with Holden Cofford? Caulfield? Yep, that's the one.
09:09Because he's a spoiled, selfish weasel. You sure you're not talking about yourself, Jeff?
09:14That's extra homework for you, miss. Now, let's unpack why you feel the urge to insult Jeff.
09:20You suck at teaching. Okay, detention. Wow, it felt good to have power. And I actually felt like I was
09:27kind of good at this. Soon, I was borrowing my mom's clothes, kicking on the makeup, and saying things like,
09:32no running in the hallways. It was awesome. Don't worry about Becca's absence. I've already been in
09:38touch with her parents, and she'll be back to school in no time. I'm handling it. I brought
09:42straight B's back to my parents. Didn't want to be too suspicious and get A's. And when they called
09:47to confirm I was doing well and not cheating, I answered. She's a wonderful student, Miss Baker.
09:53She really applies herself, and she's improving every day. Oh, that's such a relief. You know,
09:59she always was a troubled student. Well, maybe if her parents... I mean, you're doing a wonderful job.
10:06She's brilliant. When I got home, mom and dad were actually smiling. We heard you're doing
10:11excellent in school, so... We're letting you join dance class. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
10:17When I got to the dance studio, I was ecstatic to find Freddy mid-stretch. And when the teacher
10:22paired us up as partners, I thought I'd be thrilled. But I just couldn't keep up,
10:26and I felt like I was slowing him down. I think you're naturally gifted. You just need more
10:31technical practice. How about we train outside of class? Competition is coming up soon, and I need
10:37you in top form. How could I not agree to that? Soon, Freddy and I were spending so much time
10:43together. My heart was beating out of my chest every time we would dance. Everything was going
10:47according to plan. Teaching by day, dancing by night. But suddenly, my teacher responsibility
10:52started picking up, and I had to lie to Freddy about why I couldn't attend our private practices.
10:57Ugh, I have a parent-teacher conference that I have to attend. As, um, as the student, of course.
11:02I suck at math. The truth was, I had to greet papers and accompany the students on field trips
11:07and host office hours and actually meet with parents about their stupid kids. I was so tired,
11:12and I could tell Freddy was getting annoyed with me. Then one day at school, standing in front of the
11:17class, I saw a familiar face seated in front of me. Freddy? I mean, sorry, I heard we had a new
11:22student. Freddy? Is that right? Fred, yeah. Did he recognize me? I couldn't tell. But soon,
11:28I was so distracted by him binding out my secret, I had a hard time keeping up the charade. And Freddy
11:33was being so weird and quiet. In dance class, he was charismatic and lively, but here, he sat in the
11:39back of the room all alone. I couldn't tell if he was hiding my secret or what. It was starting to get
11:44to me. I couldn't even look him in the eyes when we danced. Is everything okay? Yeah,
11:49obvs. Is everything okay with you? Yeah, you just seem different. Nope, I'm exactly the same as I am.
11:56Not the same as who you think I might be, but... Okay, distracted then. I promise you,
12:00my heart is in this. You have to believe me. I want us to win. Yeah. At school, I started to put
12:05on heavier makeup and rumpier clothes to improve my disguise. I was so worried about Freddy. I didn't
12:10even know what I was talking about in class anymore. With a shaky hand, I wrote something
12:14on the board. Okay, where does the comma go in this sentence? The bully came up to the board and
12:20confidently drew a comma in. Correct. No, it's not. I was testing you. You don't even know basic
12:26grammar. Everyone in the class was snickering at me. I felt like I was the dumb student again.
12:31What? Of course I do. Are you guys hot? It's... Is it hot in here? I took off my cardigan and suddenly,
12:38Freddy's expression changed. He was staring at me and then I realized my birthmark. I had a diamond
12:43shaped birthmark on my shoulder. He was the only one who'd seen it. I have to go to the bathroom.
12:48I stormed off, exposed. Then I heard someone call behind me. Wait. Freddy rushed towards me,
12:54staring me in the eyes. He pulled off my glasses, which could have been romantic, but nope. Not like
12:59this. Becca? Is that you? I turned even redder. I was speechless. I can't believe it. It is. What's
13:05going on? Is this a joke? Okay. I know it sounds crazy, but hear me out. My parents wouldn't let me
13:11dance unless my grades went up and then I found out I looked like this new teacher who was sick
13:15and so I just pretended to be her and I guess I kind of got carried away. That is crazy. Please
13:21don't tell anyone. The competition is only a week away and I need to show my parents I'm good at
13:26this so they'll let me go to dance school and not their alma mater. Here I was just excited to spend
13:31more time with you outside of practice, but for you, it was always about winning the competition.
13:36I'm sorry, and that's not true. I won't spill your secret as long as you do something for me.
13:42Parent Teacher Night. No! I couldn't go to Parent Teacher Night. My parents would be there,
13:48but Freddy was right. I owed him. He spent so much time trying to help me and all I did was hurt him.
13:53Freddy is wonderful. He's making so many friends. Everyone loves him. Really? That's surprising.
13:59He got into a bad fight in his last school because some football player was making fun of him for
14:04being a dancer. He broke the guy's nose. He did? Yes, we told you in the beginning of the semester,
14:10Ms. Rosen. Suddenly, a familiar voice interrupted. Hi, sorry to interrupt. We're here for our 5pm
14:17with Ms. Rosen. Oh my gosh, I was about to have a Parent Teacher Conference with my parents. I
14:22quickly powdered my face, pushing my hair in front of my face, trying to obscure myself. Yes, yes, come in.
14:28I'm sorry. We'll pick this up later. So, how is Becca doing? Oh, Becca? She's an absolute dream.
14:35I'm sorry. I can't understand you. Would you mind pushing your hair out of your face and looking
14:41towards us? Oh, I'm a little sick, so I don't want to get you ill. No, that's okay. Just, it's a little
14:49rude not to be looking at us while you're talking. As I turned towards my mom, head tilted down towards
14:54the table so she couldn't see me. My glasses fell off. Mom picked them up and handed them to me. When
14:59I reached for them, I saw her eyes go wide. She was staring at the frayed sleeve peeking out from
15:05underneath my blazer. It was her frayed shirt. Becca? I thought you sounded familiar. Before I could
15:11respond, Freddy's mom burst in. Ms. Rosen, when you're done, I'd love to reconvene about Freddy.
15:16Totally. Ms. Rosen. Ha. Lady, this is my dog. As my mom was finishing her sentence, I was literally
15:23diving head first out the window. Becca, come back here. I landed in the grass and sprinted away as
15:31fast as I could. When I finally arrived at the dance studio, I was exhausted and busted. I yanked
15:39off my teacher disguise, revealing the leotard underneath, and rushed into the competition.
15:44Becca, we're about to be on. Did you talk to them? How'd it go? Yeah, yeah. Oh, good. They totally
15:50bought it. Freddy, you were in on this, weren't you? Oh, yeah. They totally bought it. I whipped my
15:56head around to see Freddy's mom boiling red, but not redder than the faces of my own parents who were
16:01right by her side. Becca, you are not dancing until you explain yourself. The music was starting. The
16:07spotlight was on us. I'll explain. Just dance. I locked eyes with him, desperate. He was fumbling
16:13at first. I could feel his nerves. Freddy, don't worry about them. This is for you. You got this. And then,
16:19we didn't miss a step. Freddy was amazing. When it was over, I couldn't hear my parents screaming.
16:26I was overwhelmed by the applause and the glimmer in Freddy's eyes. You really pulled through. I'm
16:32impressed. I'm so sorry for lying. I really love spending time with you, even when we're not
16:37dancing. But especially when we're dancing, I saw him hiding a smirk. That was enough of an
16:42invitation for me to lean in and kiss him as our lips touched. Becca! You tricked my son into
16:49going along with your charade so he could say he gets along with his classmates? You know he
16:54punched someone. Buzz killed. He was provoked. He shouldn't have punched them, but if someone
16:58insults your passion, sir, how would you feel? Freddy might not get on well with others at school,
17:03but here in this place, he's the coolest, most adored guy. This is our family. This is our school.
17:10Freddy grabbed my hand, squeezing it. Yeah, and Becca is such an incredible dancer. She may not be good
17:16at academics, but she has a passion. All she needs is her parents' support. Plus, she is a good
17:21teacher. She taught me what it's like to fight for what you care about, no matter who tries to tear
17:26you down. I suddenly saw my mom's face soften. Just a little. I guess that's something. And you did
17:33have good stage presence. I guess if dancing is your passion, I won't get in your way. As long as you
17:39have a backup plan. Wait, really? As long as you have a backup plan. I couldn't believe it. I
17:44finally got my parents' approval. Sort of. I hugged Freddy, and he grabbed my shoulders and kissed me
17:51like our parents weren't right there. I was on cloud nine. The rest is history. Freddy and I started
17:57dating, and I officially enrolled in school as a student. I finished the semester with all Cs,
18:03under the perfectly boring teachings of the real Miss Rosen. But I got to keep dancing,
18:08and the following year, Freddy and I got into Juilliard. After a brief stint touring as a
18:13background dancer for pop artists, I got burnt out and wanted to spend more time at home with our
18:17new family. So, I fell into my backup plan. All right, kiddos, don't hold back. I want to see
18:24those moves. Teaching dance classes to middle schoolers. And when my daughter told me she wanted
18:29to be a dancer, I freaked out for a minute. I would want to have their daughter be a dancer.
18:33Oh, I guess my parents were right.
18:38I was, that's why I wasn't on an akhir... I was pushed back and a wolf, no opposed to
18:42our teacher and I was back. Let me do that.
18:46I must go. Let us be.
18:47Let's go. Let's go. Let us go. Let us read it.
18:51We made those moves.
19:01Let us decide. A different way, right?
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