We're not mean, that's a huge pet peeve of mine too! Ahh the joys of loving English!
"You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view - until you climb into his skin and walk around in it."
To Kill A Mockingbird
Well you can't blame the boy for being distracted by his teacher's good looks and fantasizing about slathering him with Crisco when he should be paying attention to the lesson.