The Problem With Teachers

I sprang across the room like a rabbit and in no time I was on the other side of that door.

I pulled it shut and quickly realized that I was in a closet. It wasn’t a solid door but one with wooden slats that ran across it. I could see out the door and hoped that whoever had come in wouldn’t notice me. I almost fainted when the principle and Sergeant Major Franks walked into the room.

The Sergeant Major sat at the little table and the principle poured each of them a cup of coffee. They were only a few feet in front of me. The principle sat across from Ms. Franks.

"Have you finished collecting for the Christmas field trip?" he asked her.

Sergeant Major Franks looked at him for a minute and then said, "Yes. All done. Everyone is going this year."

The principle took a sip of his coffee and said, "I hope this is not like last year. You can’t afford to keep paying for your kids to attend these things."

"It’s not like that at all," she said. "The kids raised money this year to help each other out. They’re all paid up."

"You’re sure?" he pressed her. "Last year you paid out of your pocket for almost ten kids, Malia."

"I’m sure," she said.

The principle said, "Good." He finished his coffee and left the room.

Now I was really curious. What was she trying to pull? Was she trying to set Tim up for something? My ears were burning red.

Ms. Franks took something from her purse and sat it on the table. I squinted hard and saw it was a small calculator. Then she pulled out a pencil and a piece of paper. She was working on the calculator and writing something on the paper. She put it all away and pulled out a small cell phone.

Ms. Franks dialed a number and I was able to listen in on her call.

"This is Malia Franks," she said. She looked around the room as if she were expecting someone. "Yes, I’m calling about my car payment this month. I’m afraid I won’t be able to make it." There was a long pause and then she spoke again. "I guess you could come get it at Lakeside Middle School."

That evening as I rode the bus home, I saw Ms. Franks walking from school. Earlier, I watched a man tow her car from the parking lot. And I noticed other things that I guess I just never paid attention to. She didn’t have a nice coat like the rest of the teachers. Mrs. Bailey had a real nice pair of suede boots. Ms. Franks wore a pair of old tennis shoes. She didn’t look mad, though. In fact, she had a smile on her face. I don’t know if I’d ever seen her smile before.

Boy, did I learn something about teachers that day. Especially Ms. Franks. She’s not as crazy as I thought. I don’t think I’ll tell Tim, though. The Sergeant Major wouldn’t like that very much. She’s not crazy, but neither am I.