Whispers & Dreams by Martha Fouts

Author:Martha Fouts
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Martha Fouts
Published: 2016-02-21T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Six

“Everyone who has read at least ten books and has finished the quizzes over the books, may now be dismissed for the Reading Dragons reward party.” The school secretary announces over the intercom throughout the elementary school.

“According to my list, these are the students who qualified to be Reading Dragons,” I read from my computer, “Spirit, Addison, Cade, Jayden, Jaxon, Shanee, Cheyenne, and Whisper.”

The star readers smile at each other and bounce with excitement as they put their supplies away and line up at the door to go to the extra recess they earned. I tell them that they may go, and the rest of my students look at them enviously. Maybe next quarter they will remember this feeling and finish their reading, I hope.

“All right everyone,” I get the attention of the remaining fifteen students. “We are going to get into three groups and rotate through three centers – math at this table, science at this table, and silent reading in the reading corner.” I put the students into groups, and then I float between the groups, monitoring and answering questions. The students’ favorite center is the reading corner. They love relaxing in the cozy spot with its beanbags and floating rainbow.

I use a timer on the smartboard to signal when it’s time to switch. Each rotation is ten minutes long, so we should be finished by the time the reward recess is over. My students have had focusing problems today, and I have, too. It’s difficult to focus on the last day of school before a break. Everyone is ready for the Thanksgiving break. I’m excited to be out of school for a few days, but I’m not really looking forward to going back to Cool Springs. I’m nervous that my mom might try another Brian intervention. And I don’t know what I’m going to do about Whisper. Hopefully Ida will be out of the hospital before then, but if she isn’t, I guess I’ll have to tell my mom to set another place at the table.

Right after we get settled into the third and final rotation, Chelsea steps into my classroom. I tiptoe to her, making sure not to interrupt my students who are hard at work.

She whispers, “They need you in the office. I’ll stay with your class.”

I nod and make my way to the office at the end of the hallway. I open the wooden door of the office and see Whisper sitting in the waiting area. She’s sitting in one of the plastic waiting area chairs and has her leg propped on another chair. The school secretary, with gloved hands, is doctoring a nasty scrape on Whisper’s shin. Whisper is silently sobbing.

“Miss Melissa!” She reaches out her hands to me when she sees me.

“Oh no, what happened?” I go to her and put my arm around her shoulders.

“I was playing baseball,” She tells me with a shaky voice and quivering lip, “and I got a real good hit,” she stops and smiles through

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