"That's my math teacher!"

What are the odds of hearing that behind me near the pizza aisle in Aldi?

She said it again; the voice wasn't a teenager's. So, I turned to see the speaker.

It was grandma. And she was really giggling, pointing towards a young girl desperately trying to be unseen by her "math teacher!"

"Tara was just saying, 'that's my math teacher,' when she saw you," she chuckled.

"Oh! What year is she in?" I knew a Tara but the escaping girl wasn't her.

"Second year. No, first," her nana replied.

Scanning my mental database, nothing clicked. I silently prayed I didn't actually teach Tara, as her mum walked back to meet us still near the pizzas.

"Tara was like, 'Nana is so embarrassing!'" scrunching up her face to mimic her daughter's.

"What year is she in?" I asked again, also laughing, as other shoppers wondered past.

"7J," mum replied. "But math is not her strongest subject; it just goes over her head," sweeping away the confusing clouds of calculus over her own head.

"Why are they surprised when they see their teachers outside school? It's really strange."

"I know, right?" agreeing. "They probably think teachers live in school!" As we all laughed together.

And I don't blame them.

Teachers are there when they get to school and still there when they leave. Surely, we must have hidden bedrooms and bathrooms through those mysterious doors no one ever sees open!

It was great connecting with a student's family outside school.

It reminded me of when Usman saw me in Asda one evening. He was still in his uniform and it was my first year teaching.

When I saw him, he was pointing at me, hysterically telling his mate, "See my math teacher!"

He seemed so shocked to see that I also visited food stores! Just like he did.

I was surprised at his reaction.

But I'm still undecided in seeing students outside school.

Some students smile shyly; others say hello. Some keep a straight face; others walk on by.

Now that I know Tara's class, I might just go into her math lesson sometime this week and "embarrass" her.

Just like her grandma did on the streets of Aldi!

Still deciding on that one.