Page 50 of I Think He Knows?

Hmm…was there a bit of sarcasm in her voice? Maybe I’m just reading too much into her tone.

“I hope so,” I say.

She sets up her laptop on a table in the back of my classroom.

“You’ll do great,” she says. “Just pretend I’m not here.”

If only.

Oh well, I have nothing to worry about. I’m a great teacher, and I know it. I’m certainly not going to let Lilly’s visit intimidate me.

I consider texting Cam to tell him about my visitor, but I don’t want to create any unnecessary drama.

I excuse myself to pick up my kids while Lilly gets comfortable. It looks like she’s settling in for a while. I wonder how long this visit will be. The afternoons can get a little crazy in my class, especially if there’s been a good amount of sugar consumed at lunch. Hopefully today is one of the calmer days.

I sigh as soon as I see my kiddos in the cafeteria. I know instantly that the rest of the day is going to be eventful.

After we leave the cafeteria, I ask my students to line up against the wall.

“Okay, friends, I have some super fun news, so please open your ears, open your eyes, and close your mouths,” I say softly.

The kids do as I ask.

“We will have a special visitor in our class today, so we need to listen and show her Ms. Black’s class is the best class at Eastern Lake Elementary.”

Sophie raises her hand.

“Yes, Sophie.”

“Who is it?”

I smile. “Do you remember how Ms. Lewis said we have a new assistant principal at our school?”

They all nod their heads.

“Well, Ms. Winters really wanted to visit us today. Isn’t that cool?”

They all nod their heads again.

“She’s waiting for us, so let’s get back to our classroom.”

They are mostly quiet as we walk to our class where Lilly is waiting for us.

Let the fun begin.

Chapter Twelve

Okay, I didn’t expect Lilly to spend the rest of the day in my room. She literally sits in my class until dismissal. Did she forget there are other teachers and classrooms in our school? She stayed quiet and just observed, typing away on her laptop. I’m very curious to know what she wrote about me. Or maybe she didn’t write anything. Maybe she was just answering emails or shopping online. For all I know she was placing a big Sephora order while making me think she was evaluating me. Of course she’d have no reason to do this, but you never know.

“Thanks for letting me sit in your class today,” Lilly says after student pick up is over.

“Of course. It was nice having you,” I exclaim. Overall it was fine. She didn’t cause a distraction, and once the excitement of her being in the room wore off, it was just like any other day.

“It’s fascinating to see how different teachers run their classrooms,” she says. “It allows me to really connect and witness how you’re guiding and interacting with our students. It’s obvious the children adore you.”

I smile. “Thank you. I have a great group this year—students and parents.”

She nods, her gaze focused on something beyond my shoulder. “You’re lucky. I’ve heard some stories from other teachers.”

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