Wednesday's Words on a Friday
On Wednesdays, Delores,
from Under The Porch Light, has a meme which she calls
“Words for Wednesday”.
She puts up a selection
of six words which we then use in a short story, or a poem.
I’m hopeless at poetry
so I always do a story.
It’s a fun challenge…why
not join in?
This week's words are:
1. absent
2. vacant
3. empty
4. destiny
5. eyes
6. glaring
Here is my story:
Tod Snelling was furious.
How dare they do this! Those snivelling, snotty-nosed little brats! Running away because he'd slapped one of them! Just a slap, kid wasn't even hurt, but he'd bawled like a baby. They needed to know who was boss around here. Those other teachers were all too soft, kids needed to learn their place.
His glaring eyes roamed the empty room. Every child was absent, every seat vacant.
Spinning on his too-high bootheels, Tod stomped angrily back into the hallway, where an entirely different destiny awaited him.
The principal, the security guard and two burly policemen.
His teaching career, barely begun, was over.
The children and their parents watched from the safety of the school library as Tod Snelling was taken away in handcuffs.
Six year old Peter Thomas stepped closer to his Dad and held a hand to his aching face, where a hand shaped bruise had spread across his cheek. Mr Thomas had photographed Peter's face and filed a complaint immediately.
The school board was in an uproar, all through teachers college and his year as teaching assistant, Tod had been an exemplary candidate.
Background checks would now have to be made on every other candidate currently in the system.
Media hounds would have a field day!
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Oh River. Scary times. I wonder what made Tod snap - or whether he had been 'in disguise' during his training.
ReplyDeleteHi River,
ReplyDeleteWell written and actually, rather a cautionary tale.
Gary
I know a lot of teachers that wish they could do that. haha
ReplyDeleteA Wanderer Returns.
ReplyDelete"My eyes glared at an empty room seemingly vacant for some length of time due to the accumulated dust and ltter."
"So this was to be my destiny after being absent for some years, hardly a great homecoming."
I have returned,sorry I have been busy elsewhere.thank you for calling on my blog.
ReplyDeleteElephant's Child; snapped under the responsibility of teaching on his own, but also influenced by his childhood with an extremely stern father.
ReplyDeleteklahanie; just after I wrote this, there was a story on the news about a teacher bullying the kids in his class.
Life happens; I'm glad a lot of teachers are responsible and respected by the kids they teach.
Vest; that's very good.
A cautionary tale indeed- and a bit sad too. Well done though.
ReplyDeleteI think there needs to be discipline but not assault. We have all become a little too precious and I think children are suffering for it as I notice they have little regard these days for authority. I was disgusted at the way those young people shoved and yelled at Julie Bishop and the other lass as well. I wonder if someone asked them if they'd like their mothers treated in that way what their answer would be. In some cases they perhaps wouldn't care a hoot.
ReplyDeleteYours though is a good story of someone who just snapped at some stage in the day, Wonder what it was that Peter Thomas had done that caused it to happen to a young man who obviously had always been constrained. Makes you think.
Jackie K; I really don't know where this came from, my mind just spit it out.
ReplyDeleteMimsie; I agree discipline is a problem these days. Children are given free rein at home and the teachers have to try and teach them to behave and respect others once they get to school, when really is is the job of the parents to teach this before school starts. Many parents themselves grew up too freely, there was a lot of "don't inhibit the child" and "smacking/discipline is wrong" years ago and we are all suffering now.
In the case of my story, the new young teacher had never managed a class of children on his own, as an assistant teacher, he had only helped and observed. When it came to coping on his own, he just wasn't ready and unfortunately reverted to the way he himself had been disciplined by his own father. Peter Thomas had done nothing more than question why something had to be a certain way.
Not sure where I stand on this, there has to be a line but where. The old days were wrong but now has things gone too far the other way.
ReplyDeleteMerle................
Merle; in this (fictional) case, the teacher was very much in the wrong.
ReplyDeleteI agree there is a big lack of discipline in many kids these days, but I think things are beginning to turn around. I know many parents who are raising polite respectful kids.
Very well written River, I never want to hear that you can't write again. ((hugs))
ReplyDelete