Fight gear. I’d never heard the term before, but assumed it was related to boxing.

I was disabused of that notion by a few male students at the middle school where I do the bulk of my substitute teaching. They explained — as though I were someone who had been living under a rock for the past five years — that the term sometimes referred to boxing gear, but that aficionados (Well, okay, they did not use that term.) knew it referred to MMA.

So there I was. Do I further reveal my ignorance or act as though I know what they’re talking about?

Seeing a teachable moment, I asked them to explain MMA. This they did, as if I were a doddering old grandma. Oh, wait. I am old enough to be a grandma. I just don’t dodder yet.

If I’d been their classroom teacher, I would have pursued the conversation after library period was over. It turns out the Greeks had an Olympic event in 648 BC called pankration which combined wrestling and boxing. My teachable moment was lost when the bell rang.