Nicknames

Shamaraye is the first name of a student who is taking my Journalism class this year. She was in my speech class last year.

Juan was in my speech class with Shamaraye last year. Having taken my digital and interactive media class two years before. 

When I was teaching Juan about Photoshop a few years ago, I had occasion to show the students how to use the magic wand tool. Every time I said "magic wand," he looked up or said, "What?" 

He thought I was saying Magic Juan. Because that's exactly what most people would say, right? 

His name became Magic Juan. Other people called him that. He answered to it in a totally unflinching way- as though his name had been Magic Juan since birth. 

Last year, Magic Juan was in my speech class, and so was Shamaraye. When I made a sample presentation wherein I made mention of Waikiki beach, Shamaraye said she loved that name. She said she wanted to name her first born daughter Waikiki. I stopped on the middle of what I was doing and asked, "Why? Do you hate children?"

She thought that was hilarious and insisted we call her Waikiki for the rest of the year. That's why it was so funny when she came to me on the first day of school and showed me her new fragrance from Bath & Body Works. 

Brilliant. 

I think my favorite part of the whole thing is that Juan was absolutely convinced until about three days before his graduation that her name was Waikiki. 

That makes me smile. I have Waikiki in class again this year, and Magic Juan is off at UT. 

I just hope the Waikiki body spray smells good. It's going to be the official fragrance of the right side of my classroom for the rest of the year.