Calumet by Ali Vali

Author:Ali Vali [Vali, Ali]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781635559019
Publisher: Bold Strokes Books
Published: 2021-08-01T01:35:11+00:00

Chapter Eleven

Good morning, everyone. I hope you’ve all had a chance to read the assignment.” Jax opened her bag and took out her notes.

The low grumbling and the tapping of feet were the most familiar things Jax had heard since arriving. Her classes started much the same way until she was able to encourage the reluctant learners out of their shells with either the assignments she handed out, or with the large stick Margot liked to call her wit. This was a little over their grade level, but Eugenia had assured her it was a great choice.

Walking through the halls of the old school brought on a mild case of claustrophobia that eased as some as her old teachers stepped out of their classrooms to say hello. There weren’t many of the old guard left, and she’d seen plenty of fresh faces who appeared extremely new to the job. What Jax quickly figured out was that many of the new teachers had been students here and had plans to be in these classrooms until they retired.

That could’ve been her fate, and only her mother’s rejection had saved her from the life of a high school English teacher in a town that never would have accepted her. That was the silver lining in the whole fuckup, and it made her smile. As happy with her life as she was, it made her equally happy to see the eagerness in these people who were responsible for the next generation. If there were any more kids like her sitting in their classes, she hoped there were future Eugenias who would shepherd them to where they needed to be.

When she put her papers down and looked up, there were thirteen kids staring back at her as if trying to decide what would happen next. There was one kid in the back with their head down, and she wasn’t in the begging mood. You either paid attention or you didn’t. The rest of them, though, stared at her as if trying to figure her out.

They’d probably never seen Eugenia show up to teach in jeans and a bright pink pullover shirt. She really needed to pay attention to what Margot was placing in her suitcase. Except for the few gray hairs sprinkled at her temples, and the laugh lines around her eyes, she thought she resembled the new teachers she’d met today. She had Margot to thank for that with her healthy diet choices and all the other things she did to take care of her.

“How’s everyone doing this morning?” Her question got her crickets. She smiled and tried again. “I know we just started, so you can’t be bored yet.”

“Good morning,” they said, not exactly in unison. Not exactly enthusiastically, either.

“Trust me, guys, you’ll thank me for this when you’re a senior in college and have to read this same story. I’ve always thought it’s a sort of sociological study professors conduct to see what kind of insanity we’re about to release on society.

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