Page 35 of Hot Four Teacher
“Which answer will get you to leave me alone the fastest?”
“The truth.”
I highly doubt that.
“Uh, yes, I am seeing someone.” Maybe it’s not entirely true, but it’s not a total lie either. It’s more like wishful thinking on my part. If things go well with Michelle on Friday, maybe I’ll be seeing someone slightly more seriously.
Lindsay opens her mouth with what I’m sure will be a flurry of follow-up questions, but luckily, the bell rings. Nothing will stop a bunch of chatty teenagers faster than a loud annoying ringing that indicates the end of class.
Thankfully, my next period is a free one. I usually need a little while to decompress after the seniors. With them, it’s sort of a fifty-fifty crowd. Half of the kids are already checked out and don’t want to do anything. The other half are all fighting to be valedictorian and can think about nothing but being the best. There’s not a lot of middle ground.
While I have some quiet time, I turn on a podcast on my phone and keep grading papers. I want to try to get them all done so that tonight, I can do nothing but relax. I finally finished unpacking and just want to have a low-key night where I rot in front of the TV. To do that, I need to get all of this graded.
Could I just push off grading until later if I don’t get it done? I could, but unfortunately, my brain doesn’t really work like that. If I have something to do, I can’t relax until it’s done. I’m sure that is thanks to all my time in the military.
Or maybe I’m just anal.
I get into a pretty good rhythm before I’m interrupted by Tony. I can definitely see what he meant about him not being a typical principal. He’s almost always roaming the halls and is rarely ever in his office. He’s the mostinvolvedprincipal I’ve ever worked for.
“Hi, Dane,” he greets with a smile.
“Hey, Tony.”
“Do you have a minute?”
“Sure.” I put the cap back on my pen. “Come on in.”
He walks inside and leans against one of the student desks before beginning to speak. “How much do you know about soccer?”
I sit in silence for a moment while I try to come up with my answer. His question caught me completely off-guard. “Uh, I mean, I guess I understand the basic principle of it.”
He smiles. “Okay, let me explain. The teacher you replaced used to coach our girls’ soccer team. When she got pregnant, we had a parent take over, but…let’s just say things aren’t going well.”
“How bad is it?” I ask.
“Well, they haven’t won a single game. Other parents are complaining, and the players are threatening not to come to games anymore.”
“Ouch.”
“Yeah, it’s not great.”
I sigh. “I’m not going to lie to you, Tony. I’m not sure if I would be any good at being a soccer coach.”
“Really, I just need you temporarily until I find another option. I’m a little up against a wall here. Most all of the other teachers have other after-school sports or clubs that they run. And the ones who don’t…well, I’m going to be honest…they’re maybe not the best option to have in a coaching environment.”
I’m a little scared to ask him to elaborate on that, so I stay quiet.
He keeps going, “I don’t need a soccer savant. I just need someone to encourage the girls and make them feel like they matter. They got the short end of the stick, and I know none of it is fair to them.”
While every fiber of my being is telling me to say no to this, I also don’t want students to feel like they’re not being taken care of if I can help it.
Plus, I’m new around here, and I may need to garner some good favor just in case I need something in the future.
He keeps trying to convince me. “There are a couple practices this week, but then, this weekend, there aren’t any games or anything, so you’ll have a little time to get your feet wet. And I’ll keep trying to find a replacement in the meantime.
His pleas keep getting more and more desperate, so I decide to put him out of his misery.
“Alright, Tony. I’ll do it…on a temporary basis.”
