The last bell had just rung, and Mindy settled down at her desk. Reflecting on the first day of school she felt it hadn’t gone bad at all.

Her Period 4 class was going to be a hard one. Why did the counselors always put ALL of the varsity football players in her class, all at the same hour? Didn’t they realize they were just baiting disaster to happen? That’s all right, Mindy knew how to handle those boys, and any others that gave her trouble.

Typically students would look at Mindy and think they could walk all over her. She was a diminutive young woman, only 5’2. She had long, curly red hair, which she typically wore back in a barrette. Mindy had a soft voice and a very calm demeanor. This was only her second year teaching, so in reality she was closer in age to the students she taught than the majority of her coworkers. All of these factors, her size, her disposition, her age seemed to make students initially think they could rule the roost.

But on the first day of class, Mindy was sure to show them otherwise. How did she do this? She simply piled on so much work that the kids couldn’t even think of misbehaving. After all, they were seniors and they needed to pass her class to graduate. And the football players? Well they couldn’t play if they weren’t passing. So in the end they minded her pretty well.

Mindy smirked recalling the moans, and groans she had heard when she had told the class that they had to read The Scarlet Letter by next week. She then had heard a few curses when she the told them they had a literary analysis due the following week.

So Period 4 looked to be a bit troublesome, whereas her Period 2 class looked to be the most promising. Period 2 seemed to be made up of a lot of smart, good kids. Shawn Murphy was in Mindy’s 2nd hour class.

Mindy had managed to scoot down to the counseling office during lunch and speak with Dave Spencer, Shawn’s guidance counselor. She had learned of Shawn’s sordid past, and her heart went out to him. Her respect for him grew as she learned how he had supported his family, while struggling to attend school. She also had examined his test scores, and read some of his writing samples. She was impressed with his writing ability and overall intelligence.

She decided on that first day of school that she was going to want to keep an eye on this special young man.

__________________
"Yes I did go to him,
but completely against my will,
and yes he did things to me,
things of which I dream of still,"

-Cowboy Junkies "Black-eyed Man"