Darcy, Defined by Suzanne Williams

Author:Suzanne Williams [Williams, Suzanne]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2020-12-27T06:00:00+00:00

Chapter 12

The next day I couldn’t wait to get back to gardening. All day I wondered what the next group of kids would be like, hoping they’d be as likeable as the ones I helped on my first day. On the bus I attempted to do some pre-calc homework, but I was too anxious and excited to focus on it. After a few minutes I shut my textbook and allowed myself the pleasure of gazing through the window and daydreaming until the bus came to my stop at Washington Park.

I walked to the school and made my way over to the cafeteria, where I saw Sean sitting in the same spot as the last time. I went over and took a seat beside him.

“Welcome back,” he said.

“Thanks.” I knew it would be a few minutes before the kids came in, so I tried to think of something to talk about, but nothing amusing or interesting came to mind. I looked around the room, as if I might find some inspiration somewhere in the elementary school lunchroom.

“We’re working with the second, third and fourth graders today,” he said, saving me from my quest to find a conversation starter.

“Oh. What are they like?”

“They’re not quite as sweet and innocent as the younger ones, but they’re still pretty good. There are two boys that we have to try to keep separated because they’ll end up fighting if they get too close. I’ll show you which ones when they come in.”

“That’s good to know. I’ll try to make sure one of them stays with me the whole time.”

“That’s exactly what I was going to suggest.”

“So, do you like working with kids?” I asked after a brief pause.

“Most of the time,” said Sean, “but I don’t think I could do what Mr. Brooks does. It can get pretty intense. I mean, some of these kids need so much, and I’m glad that I can help out sometimes, but I wouldn’t have the energy to do it all week long.”

I nodded. “I don’t know if I could either, but wouldn’t it be amazing to know you were making an impact on them? That you were providing them with the knowledge and encouragement they need to succeed?”

“You sound like you might have a teaching career ahead of you,” said Sean.

“Maybe,” I said. “I don’t know what I want to do yet, but teaching could definitely be on the list.”

After a moment the bell rang and the kids came streaming through the doors. The balls were bouncing, the sneakers were squeaking and cartons of milk and fruit cups were being set out on the tables. Mr. Brooks made his announcement to the Junior Gardeners of the day, and the second, third and fourth-graders scrambled over to line up behind him. Sean pointed out the two boys that needed to be separated, and I could see why. One was standing behind the other, shoving him from behind, while the one in front made elbow jabs in defense. “You should take Damien,” said Sean, pointing to the one in the front.

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