Itchy Toes and Wet Socks

Everyday he takes off his shoes in my class. I'll glance up from my pile of vocab tests to see shoes strewn about. During the warmer months, he'd take off his shoes because the socks "itched" his toes. And now, with daily deluges, he complains of wet socks that wrinkle his feet.

With my teacher's intuition, I think that maybe he's exaggerating, but measuring sock wetness sounds unhygienic and potentially illegal if another adult walked in at the wrong moment.

At first, I told him that someone could trip on the loose shoes. I thought that would be the end of it. But as a bright young man, he started kicking off his shoes and neatly lining them up under his desk. He wasn't being disobedient; he was accommodating my concerns.

So I had to just come out with it: Please leave your shoes on. But like many social norms, there wasn't a logical reason for me to use as evidence. He was genuinely confused. His face contorted as he processed the information.

I imagine there is a giant index of how kids' faces look when they are truly confused. Right between "Mommy doesn't love Daddy anymore" and "There is no tooth fairy" would be "You can't take your shoes off in public."

To be honest, I really don't understand the rule myself. I hate wearing shoes. They are the first thing off when I get home from work, and sometimes, I take my shoes off so haphazardly that my feet accidentally pull down my pants.

I have no real reason for my student. His feet don't smell. His shoes are not intrusive. He's an academically sound student. I always try to explain my classroom rules, give a philosophy behind the limitations, but this time I found myself silenced. I begrudgingly uttered the words, "Just do it because I asked you to."

I'm a sell-out shoe hater.