Sure they are gut-wrenching in the moment, but the most embarrassing moments in life are the ones we remember.

This thought came to mind last week when I interviewed a teacher last week for an upcoming Teacher Feature.

She mentioned that some of her favorite moments in the classroom have been the embarrassing ones; being called mom by a student, or other things of the like.

“My favorite aspect of teaching would be the embarrassing moments that take place after you have established the culture within the classroom, or when I mess up and the kids encourage me,” said Katherine Nettles, a teacher at Daphne Middle School. “They don't realize it, but when those things happen, they make my job so very enjoyable.”

Unfortunately for the student in question who referred to his teacher as his mother, that moment won’t soon fade for his memory. But I hope that someday, the tiny offender can laugh at that big oops.

Trust me, I’m speaking from ample experience on this topic.

I’ve had my foot in my mouth countless times in life, and I’ve been surprised by my own bumbling ineptitude more often than that.

We’ve all had those moments we cringe to remember. For some, it was passing out at our high school graduation – at least I made it to the hallway.

For others it was not knowing how to dance when the prettiest girl in 7th grade asked took your hand at your first grade school dance – yes, she was pretty, and yes, we didn’t make it through the first song before she exclaimed, “What are you doing? Ew!”

Thanks, Megan.

And for the most embarrassing of us, there was that time we passed out in the middle of that sex-ed class where the teacher was showing those graphic slides.

Sure the slides were intended to make all of us students think twice, thrice or even a hundred times before hanging out with the birds and the bees, but for one unfortunate student, they had a much different effect.

Luckily, just like my high school graduation, I made it to the hallway before smacking my face on the floor.

And thankfully, the impact of my face upon the cold brick floor seems to have erased the image projected upon the whiteboard.

At the time, all of these moments felt like the end of the world to me, but they are now moments I can look back at laugh upon.

So there’s hope for you yet, Kid Who Called His Teacher Mom.

Jay Sowers is photo editor of Gulf Coast Newspapers. He can be reached at jay@gulfcoastmedia.com.