Second Chance by June D. Wolfman
A recently retired middle school dean is reminded of one of her most difficult students when he sends her a Facebook friend request.
Jill Klein carefully mounted and framed her retirement gift from forty years as a Dean at a middle school in Connecticut. She gently tucked the edges of the embroidered fabric into the casing. On it was an embroidered, "Thank You Dean Klein for Forty Years of Caring," and embroidered names of this year's class, each signature the handiwork of this year's students. She gingerly hung it on the wall next to her twenty-fifth anniversary certificate. Suddenly, she felt abjectly alone. There would be no more gifts. She was retired now. She closed her eyes.
Ian Brown-Sumpter picked up his four-year-old son and tossed him in the air. The child giggled and squealed. He brushed his grey-tinged curls from his forehead and answered his wife about what he wanted for dinner: "Mozzarella pizza, please." His three children began playing indoor soccer with a red Nerf ball, giving him a reprieve. He glanced at his Facebook page and saw under "People you may know" his old middle-school teacher, Jill Klein. He grimaced. He thought about all the trouble he had given Ms. Klein when he was a boy and wondered at his younger self. What if one of his three kids gave him that kind of trouble? He didn't know if he would have the stamina to keep up with that. Ms. Klein had many kids to take care of. Still, he felt grateful to his old Dean. He smiled, looking at her Facebook picture, and sent a friend request. Surely all was forgiven by now. After all, his hair was half grey. He turned back to his brood of kids and grabbed the red ball. He rolled it to the youngest to kick. He looked around the room and appreciated the child-proof décor. Even the lamp was secured. It contained an LED bulb and was tethered to a bracket on the wall.
Jill Klein paged through Facebook and noticed a new friend request. Ian Brown-Sumpter had requested her as a friend. She gazed at his picture and smiled at his graying hair. She remembered all the crazy days with Ian...
"Ian, what have you done? You dumped a whole ant hill into the classroom. There are ants everywhere, Ian!" She remembered the ants crawling like invaders on the walls, all the walls, and the carpeting was alive with ants as well. Jill half-smiled and half-grimaced as she remembered.
"How do you know it was me?"
"Never mind how I know. I know. Now you can clean every speck of dirt and get rid of every ant, or you can be suspended for two weeks."
Jill remembered Ian's defeated look. He rolled his eyes and held his head. He hated suspensions.
"FINE," Ian yelled. He began the clean-up, huffing and grumbling.
It took him two days to clean up the mess. He had to miss some of his classes to do so. The girls in the class screamed at the ants, screamed at Ian, screamed at having to enter the room. They cut class. Jill had to get permission from his parents, who were only too willing to let their son undo what he had done. Still, Jill struggled with the decision to keep him away from academic work. He didn't like class anyway, and she worked hard with him on that. It was a setback as far as she was concerned. She remembered, though, how he captured each ant with a paper plate and a plastic cup. He dumped them into a jar he could close. He carried the jar outside when it was full.
It was late that evening, his wife and three children sleeping, when Ian remembered the ant incident. How did Ms. Klein know it was him? Did someone snitch? He remembered how he felt bringing that ant hill in a bucket into Ms. Klein's classroom. Triumphant. Truly, every adult would be aggravated, putting him in good with the cool kids. That was his goal. If only, he thought, he didn't have to be just the gifted kid - college-level skills in every subject. So much was expected of him at home. The only boy in a family of five girls and himself. He just wanted to be a rogue. He wanted to give everyone trouble. He didn't need a middle-school education anyway. But Ms. Klein didn't understand all of that. His parents told Ms. Klein he had ADHD. She thought he wanted excitement. That wasn't it at all. That just wasn't it. And it wasn't Ms. Klein's fault. She wasn't the one who expected so much from him. But she didn't understand him, either. He thought back to the ant incident. The girls' faces brought him despair. The older boys had pounded him for upsetting the girls. They were in pursuit of the girls, and this was a setback for that project. Ian became the heel.
Jill's hands sloshed around in the sink with sudsy water and dishes. She had never bothered to get a dishwasher. She began to think of Ian, and then remembered the conference with Ian and his science teacher. They sat on unsteady stools in the highly decorated science classroom, just the three of them. Pictures of quartz, glaciers, and graphite lined the walls.
The science teacher said, "Ian disrupts the class. He has not turned in any homework for three weeks."
Ian said, "This class is worthless. We're learning about rocks. I know all about rocks."
Jill cut in at that moment, "Ian, what would you like to learn about in science?"
Ian rolled his eyes. It was his bad luck that he was at a school that catered to kids' interests.
"I like physics."
"Okay, I'll find you a tutor. But in exchange, you stay in this class and be supportive of the teacher. You know about rocks, so be the star pupil."
"I just want to be a normal kid!"
The science teacher cut in, "You are not being a normal kid. You're the only problem kid in the class."
Jill disapproved of labeling kids as "problem kids," and she began to wonder if this relationship could be salvaged. She glanced at the science teacher and saw something like hatred in her face. The teacher's eyes bore into Ian's eyes. Her jaw was set.
Reluctantly, Jill said, "Do the two of you agree to Ian withdrawing from the study of rocks and doing his science with a physics tutor?"
"I'd rather see him behave," said the science teacher with a frown and balled fists.
"I'm all for getting out of this class," mumbled Ian.
"Okay, it would be ideal if Ian could participate in rock class, but I don't think right now that is realistic. There is a bit too much antagonism and resistance here. I'm going to set up the tutoring."
The science teacher murmured, "Spoiled brat."
Jill ended the meeting...
Ian slumped out of the meeting. His head was bowed. He kept rubbing at his eyes as he walked away.
Ian sat back in his company-hired car on the way to the office. He had to negotiate an agreement between the San Francisco office and the New York office. As the car made its way through traffic, he took a physics book out of his briefcase. It brought him back to his middle-school days and getting a tutor for physics. He closed his eyes and rubbed them. Thinking back, it was a big mess. If only he had agreed to stay in the rock class. He should have been a normal kid. Instead, they got a tutor to come in three times a week. His classmates were impressed and disgusted at the same time. His parents were thrilled, which annoyed him. His father began studying with him from the text provided by the tutor. He adored his father, but he wanted his father to go to a ballgame with him, not study. What a mess. Plus, the science teacher had called him "spoiled," which was just about the end for him. He remembered leaving the meeting and rushing to the boy's room to cry. He didn't feel spoiled. He felt smothered, held back, and pushed forward all at the same time. Ian brought himself back to the present. He closed his eyes and slept.
Later that night, while Jill trimmed indoor plants, she remembered the fake unconscious episode. Ian was wrestling at lunch break with a bigger kid. Ian was losing badly, and he got taunted by onlookers and pretended to fall unconscious after barely tapping his head on the wall. Jill happened to see the whole thing, and fake unconsciousness was about as easy to spot as fake sleeping. Nevertheless, the other children in the playroom became hysterical and began screaming, "Call an ambulance, Mrs. Klein!" "He's dying!" yelled one girl. Jill remembered wondering if she should call an ambulance just to be safe. She struggled because she knew he was faking, and he would only dig himself deeper into the lie if he were carried out on a stretcher. Time passed. She was about to call for help that she knew was unneeded when Ian's eyes flickered open. Jill called his parents to pick him up and take him to the doctor. Jill remembered how conflicted she felt. She knew it was all a fake. She wanted to call him on it somehow. But prudence dictated otherwise.
Ian woke but was still stuck in traffic. He smelled the stale air in the car and felt his asthma kick in. He pulled out his inhaler and took a puff. He leaned back and pretended to sleep. He didn't want to chat with the driver. The fake sleep reminded him of the pretend concussion he faked in middle school. Did he want to be the center of attention? No, he wanted a graceful way out of the wrestling match with Rob. He couldn't bring himself to give up. Poor Ms. Klein. Surely, he knew now, she knew he faked his concussion. Everyone was screaming as he lay there. Ms. Klein must have wondered what she should do. She knew he was okay, but the other children didn't, and what if she were wrong? What an agonizingly long moment he gave her. The car pulled up in front of a forty-story office and parked. Ian gathered his belongings and stuffed them in his briefcase. He left the vehicle with a wave of thanks to the driver. He left his inhaler behind. When he realized it, he felt lucky that his wife always made him pack two.
The next day, Jill was shelving some books and came upon The Tale of Two Cities. Jill remembered the condom incident. Ian was angry that his English class had stopped studying books like The Tale of Two Cities. They began working on a group project, a school newspaper. Jill recalled the day the English teacher came to her.
"Ian threw an unrolled condom on my desk. It had liquid in it."
"Do we know it was Ian?" Jill asked.
"My son saw him."
Jill remembered losing her temper with Ian over this.
She suspended him for a week.
His parents pressed for more talk and less suspension. They wanted his concerns about the class heard.
"I've heard his concerns," Jill had said, "and I understand them. Ian is a gifted student. He craves challenge. However, he has not given the newspaper project a chance. The English teacher is a genius. His response was like an assault on the teacher instead of any kind of effort."
Ian's parents had to accept the suspension.
Jill looked again at Ian's picture on Facebook. He had a wife and a slew of kids around him in the shot... she assumed it was a wife. She thought back to a time after Ian had graduated from Jill's middle school and had started high school. Jill got a call from Ian's mother.
"Jill, Ian has failed every single class freshman year. He doesn't do any work. We want to send him to a boarding school that has a working farm. He won't discuss it with us. He says you are the only one he will discuss it with. Would you come talk to him?"
Jill remembered the sinking feeling in her chest when she heard of Ian's failures. She couldn't comprehend why Ian wanted to speak with her about all this. Nevertheless, she drove to his home and took him out for a meal - a casual, neutral environment for a talk.
"I don't want to go to farm school," Ian began.
"Tell me about your school now."
"It's stupid."
"Use your intelligence, Ian, and tell me about the school more descriptively."
"I am just unhappy there," said Ian. "It's all a big game for grades."
"Well, you don't want to go to farm school. Does that mean that you want to stay in your high school?"
Ian rubbed his curly hair away from his forehead and sighed. "I can do better. I don't need special treatment at a farm school."
"Do they have grades there?"
"No, just written reports," Ian mumbled.
"That sounds better, then."
"I don't want a special school."
"Ian. You have always been very bright, but if you are not taught just the way that suits you, you refuse to learn. You would benefit from a big change, and I like the idea of your working on a farm as part of your education. You will learn to put your head down and do a job well."
Ian sat quietly for a few minutes, then asked if they could have dessert.
The conversation then turned easily to a million other topics: his parents, his sisters, his volunteer job. Jill enjoyed him, now that he wasn't her responsibility. They laughed a lot. They followed their pasta with an order of chocolate cake. They decided nothing about school. That was the last she heard from Ian or his family.
She looked again at the Facebook picture and wondered at the beautiful smile on Ian's face. He looked happier than she could ever remember seeing him in his childhood.
Jill accepted Ian's friend request.
Overnight, she received a private message from Ian. "Thank you, Mrs. Klein... can I call you Jill? You were there for me when I really needed you. I went to the farm school, then to Brown, then to law school, and now I practice international law. I am married and have three rug rats. Luckily, they are not the trouble I was to you."
Mrs. Klein hesitated. It felt like a real "friend" request. Friends now. How lovely.
She wrote, "Ian, I see you have little kids, and they have you turning prematurely gray. Kids will do that. But it suits you. Your job sounds fascinating. You'll have to tell me about it. What are your children's names and ages? How lovely it is to be friends after all this time."
Jill hit send. Maybe this was her second act. She would be friends with her old students. It never had occurred to her before. Leave it to Ian to guide her as much as she had ever guided him.
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| Image generated with OpenAI |
Ian Brown-Sumpter picked up his four-year-old son and tossed him in the air. The child giggled and squealed. He brushed his grey-tinged curls from his forehead and answered his wife about what he wanted for dinner: "Mozzarella pizza, please." His three children began playing indoor soccer with a red Nerf ball, giving him a reprieve. He glanced at his Facebook page and saw under "People you may know" his old middle-school teacher, Jill Klein. He grimaced. He thought about all the trouble he had given Ms. Klein when he was a boy and wondered at his younger self. What if one of his three kids gave him that kind of trouble? He didn't know if he would have the stamina to keep up with that. Ms. Klein had many kids to take care of. Still, he felt grateful to his old Dean. He smiled, looking at her Facebook picture, and sent a friend request. Surely all was forgiven by now. After all, his hair was half grey. He turned back to his brood of kids and grabbed the red ball. He rolled it to the youngest to kick. He looked around the room and appreciated the child-proof décor. Even the lamp was secured. It contained an LED bulb and was tethered to a bracket on the wall.
Jill Klein paged through Facebook and noticed a new friend request. Ian Brown-Sumpter had requested her as a friend. She gazed at his picture and smiled at his graying hair. She remembered all the crazy days with Ian...
"Ian, what have you done? You dumped a whole ant hill into the classroom. There are ants everywhere, Ian!" She remembered the ants crawling like invaders on the walls, all the walls, and the carpeting was alive with ants as well. Jill half-smiled and half-grimaced as she remembered.
"How do you know it was me?"
"Never mind how I know. I know. Now you can clean every speck of dirt and get rid of every ant, or you can be suspended for two weeks."
Jill remembered Ian's defeated look. He rolled his eyes and held his head. He hated suspensions.
"FINE," Ian yelled. He began the clean-up, huffing and grumbling.
It took him two days to clean up the mess. He had to miss some of his classes to do so. The girls in the class screamed at the ants, screamed at Ian, screamed at having to enter the room. They cut class. Jill had to get permission from his parents, who were only too willing to let their son undo what he had done. Still, Jill struggled with the decision to keep him away from academic work. He didn't like class anyway, and she worked hard with him on that. It was a setback as far as she was concerned. She remembered, though, how he captured each ant with a paper plate and a plastic cup. He dumped them into a jar he could close. He carried the jar outside when it was full.
It was late that evening, his wife and three children sleeping, when Ian remembered the ant incident. How did Ms. Klein know it was him? Did someone snitch? He remembered how he felt bringing that ant hill in a bucket into Ms. Klein's classroom. Triumphant. Truly, every adult would be aggravated, putting him in good with the cool kids. That was his goal. If only, he thought, he didn't have to be just the gifted kid - college-level skills in every subject. So much was expected of him at home. The only boy in a family of five girls and himself. He just wanted to be a rogue. He wanted to give everyone trouble. He didn't need a middle-school education anyway. But Ms. Klein didn't understand all of that. His parents told Ms. Klein he had ADHD. She thought he wanted excitement. That wasn't it at all. That just wasn't it. And it wasn't Ms. Klein's fault. She wasn't the one who expected so much from him. But she didn't understand him, either. He thought back to the ant incident. The girls' faces brought him despair. The older boys had pounded him for upsetting the girls. They were in pursuit of the girls, and this was a setback for that project. Ian became the heel.
Jill's hands sloshed around in the sink with sudsy water and dishes. She had never bothered to get a dishwasher. She began to think of Ian, and then remembered the conference with Ian and his science teacher. They sat on unsteady stools in the highly decorated science classroom, just the three of them. Pictures of quartz, glaciers, and graphite lined the walls.
The science teacher said, "Ian disrupts the class. He has not turned in any homework for three weeks."
Ian said, "This class is worthless. We're learning about rocks. I know all about rocks."
Jill cut in at that moment, "Ian, what would you like to learn about in science?"
Ian rolled his eyes. It was his bad luck that he was at a school that catered to kids' interests.
"I like physics."
"Okay, I'll find you a tutor. But in exchange, you stay in this class and be supportive of the teacher. You know about rocks, so be the star pupil."
"I just want to be a normal kid!"
The science teacher cut in, "You are not being a normal kid. You're the only problem kid in the class."
Jill disapproved of labeling kids as "problem kids," and she began to wonder if this relationship could be salvaged. She glanced at the science teacher and saw something like hatred in her face. The teacher's eyes bore into Ian's eyes. Her jaw was set.
Reluctantly, Jill said, "Do the two of you agree to Ian withdrawing from the study of rocks and doing his science with a physics tutor?"
"I'd rather see him behave," said the science teacher with a frown and balled fists.
"I'm all for getting out of this class," mumbled Ian.
"Okay, it would be ideal if Ian could participate in rock class, but I don't think right now that is realistic. There is a bit too much antagonism and resistance here. I'm going to set up the tutoring."
The science teacher murmured, "Spoiled brat."
Jill ended the meeting...
Ian slumped out of the meeting. His head was bowed. He kept rubbing at his eyes as he walked away.
Ian sat back in his company-hired car on the way to the office. He had to negotiate an agreement between the San Francisco office and the New York office. As the car made its way through traffic, he took a physics book out of his briefcase. It brought him back to his middle-school days and getting a tutor for physics. He closed his eyes and rubbed them. Thinking back, it was a big mess. If only he had agreed to stay in the rock class. He should have been a normal kid. Instead, they got a tutor to come in three times a week. His classmates were impressed and disgusted at the same time. His parents were thrilled, which annoyed him. His father began studying with him from the text provided by the tutor. He adored his father, but he wanted his father to go to a ballgame with him, not study. What a mess. Plus, the science teacher had called him "spoiled," which was just about the end for him. He remembered leaving the meeting and rushing to the boy's room to cry. He didn't feel spoiled. He felt smothered, held back, and pushed forward all at the same time. Ian brought himself back to the present. He closed his eyes and slept.
Later that night, while Jill trimmed indoor plants, she remembered the fake unconscious episode. Ian was wrestling at lunch break with a bigger kid. Ian was losing badly, and he got taunted by onlookers and pretended to fall unconscious after barely tapping his head on the wall. Jill happened to see the whole thing, and fake unconsciousness was about as easy to spot as fake sleeping. Nevertheless, the other children in the playroom became hysterical and began screaming, "Call an ambulance, Mrs. Klein!" "He's dying!" yelled one girl. Jill remembered wondering if she should call an ambulance just to be safe. She struggled because she knew he was faking, and he would only dig himself deeper into the lie if he were carried out on a stretcher. Time passed. She was about to call for help that she knew was unneeded when Ian's eyes flickered open. Jill called his parents to pick him up and take him to the doctor. Jill remembered how conflicted she felt. She knew it was all a fake. She wanted to call him on it somehow. But prudence dictated otherwise.
Ian woke but was still stuck in traffic. He smelled the stale air in the car and felt his asthma kick in. He pulled out his inhaler and took a puff. He leaned back and pretended to sleep. He didn't want to chat with the driver. The fake sleep reminded him of the pretend concussion he faked in middle school. Did he want to be the center of attention? No, he wanted a graceful way out of the wrestling match with Rob. He couldn't bring himself to give up. Poor Ms. Klein. Surely, he knew now, she knew he faked his concussion. Everyone was screaming as he lay there. Ms. Klein must have wondered what she should do. She knew he was okay, but the other children didn't, and what if she were wrong? What an agonizingly long moment he gave her. The car pulled up in front of a forty-story office and parked. Ian gathered his belongings and stuffed them in his briefcase. He left the vehicle with a wave of thanks to the driver. He left his inhaler behind. When he realized it, he felt lucky that his wife always made him pack two.
The next day, Jill was shelving some books and came upon The Tale of Two Cities. Jill remembered the condom incident. Ian was angry that his English class had stopped studying books like The Tale of Two Cities. They began working on a group project, a school newspaper. Jill recalled the day the English teacher came to her.
"Ian threw an unrolled condom on my desk. It had liquid in it."
"Do we know it was Ian?" Jill asked.
"My son saw him."
Jill remembered losing her temper with Ian over this.
She suspended him for a week.
His parents pressed for more talk and less suspension. They wanted his concerns about the class heard.
"I've heard his concerns," Jill had said, "and I understand them. Ian is a gifted student. He craves challenge. However, he has not given the newspaper project a chance. The English teacher is a genius. His response was like an assault on the teacher instead of any kind of effort."
Ian's parents had to accept the suspension.
Jill looked again at Ian's picture on Facebook. He had a wife and a slew of kids around him in the shot... she assumed it was a wife. She thought back to a time after Ian had graduated from Jill's middle school and had started high school. Jill got a call from Ian's mother.
"Jill, Ian has failed every single class freshman year. He doesn't do any work. We want to send him to a boarding school that has a working farm. He won't discuss it with us. He says you are the only one he will discuss it with. Would you come talk to him?"
Jill remembered the sinking feeling in her chest when she heard of Ian's failures. She couldn't comprehend why Ian wanted to speak with her about all this. Nevertheless, she drove to his home and took him out for a meal - a casual, neutral environment for a talk.
"I don't want to go to farm school," Ian began.
"Tell me about your school now."
"It's stupid."
"Use your intelligence, Ian, and tell me about the school more descriptively."
"I am just unhappy there," said Ian. "It's all a big game for grades."
"Well, you don't want to go to farm school. Does that mean that you want to stay in your high school?"
Ian rubbed his curly hair away from his forehead and sighed. "I can do better. I don't need special treatment at a farm school."
"Do they have grades there?"
"No, just written reports," Ian mumbled.
"That sounds better, then."
"I don't want a special school."
"Ian. You have always been very bright, but if you are not taught just the way that suits you, you refuse to learn. You would benefit from a big change, and I like the idea of your working on a farm as part of your education. You will learn to put your head down and do a job well."
Ian sat quietly for a few minutes, then asked if they could have dessert.
The conversation then turned easily to a million other topics: his parents, his sisters, his volunteer job. Jill enjoyed him, now that he wasn't her responsibility. They laughed a lot. They followed their pasta with an order of chocolate cake. They decided nothing about school. That was the last she heard from Ian or his family.
She looked again at the Facebook picture and wondered at the beautiful smile on Ian's face. He looked happier than she could ever remember seeing him in his childhood.
Jill accepted Ian's friend request.
Overnight, she received a private message from Ian. "Thank you, Mrs. Klein... can I call you Jill? You were there for me when I really needed you. I went to the farm school, then to Brown, then to law school, and now I practice international law. I am married and have three rug rats. Luckily, they are not the trouble I was to you."
Mrs. Klein hesitated. It felt like a real "friend" request. Friends now. How lovely.
She wrote, "Ian, I see you have little kids, and they have you turning prematurely gray. Kids will do that. But it suits you. Your job sounds fascinating. You'll have to tell me about it. What are your children's names and ages? How lovely it is to be friends after all this time."
Jill hit send. Maybe this was her second act. She would be friends with her old students. It never had occurred to her before. Leave it to Ian to guide her as much as she had ever guided him.
Loved this. The characterisation is excellent. The characters are believable people you care about from the first few sentences and the way their old relationship is revived and transformed feels real. Love the positivity of it too.
ReplyDeleteThat means a lot. Thank you!
DeleteI found this an intriguing character study not only of a bright student beleaguered with a sense of ennui and displacement, but of an older teacher torn between what convention and what her heart told her was her real duty to the student. Ian epitomizes many such students, misunderstood for many reasons, with his desires getting short shrift. I thought his characterization of high school as a fatuous pursuit of grades an accurate one. I mean, why should an intelligent youngster devote precious time to the pursuit of things they clearly do not believe in? To become "well-rounded?" It's a debatable point about which I'm not adequately conversant. Jill seems to be an achingly devoted teacher and a really good person. She seems wistful in retirement; I hope for the best for these two memorable, June Wolfmanesque characters.
ReplyDeleteThat was me, June. You could tell: it was long-winded.
ReplyDeleteBill Tope
Loved your review Bill! Thank you!
DeleteThis reminds me of my own middle school years. I too was a misunderstood problem child, but because people didn't know what was going on at home. This inspires me to write about it
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading this as a short story because it really highlights the two opposing characters, Jill and Ian. I could relate to both of their stories; the character development felt organic and flowed well. The descriptive language added a very visual element for the imagination and tied together the elements well, with a fleshed-out story. And finally, I held my breath but felt relief when reaching the conclusion, as it became a positive, light-hearted one!
ReplyDeleteVery sweet story. I liked it very much.
ReplyDeleteA beautifully written story. Jill was a truly “enlightened” dean, and Ian was lucky to have crossed paths with her. The re-connection was so heartwarming. Well done, June.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Rozanne. That means a lot to me.
DeleteAhhhh this was so good!!!
ReplyDeleteDid not expect this it was really well written :)
I really liked your use of language and the story line— I'm sure so many people can relate with their troubles at school and how they can be misunderstood for things they cannot control.
The characters are great as well— a teacher and a student trying to do their best, and accepting each other and their faults (whether their own or the other party's) in the end. Very relatable and nicely portrayed
Will definitely read more!!! Keep writing <3
—Frost
Thank you Frost!
DeleteLove this story! I'm a sucker for a good re-connection between people who were once very influential in each other's lives but have since fallen out of contact. With time, even the "bad" memories have sentimentality to them, like Jill half-smiling about the ants incident. I hope that some day when my career is over, I'll be able to reflect and feel I've made a positive impact on those I've crossed paths with, much like Jill. But will probably have to get out of corporate first, aha :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing this story - hope I get to read more of your work in the future!
- Matt
Thank you, Matt!
DeleteThank you for a great story; I really enjoyed the character development, especially the teacher as an older person. I also liked the these of loneliness through the story; the teacher as an older person remembering all her friends and the pupil, trying to fit in. Look forward to reading more.
ReplyDeleteCats
Thanks, Cats!
DeleteI love this story! Both the characters are classic real people you would run into in life. Gotta love Jill for having the patience to hear him out. There are so many students in the world like Ian and so many teachers like the science teacher it is really wild. I wonder what makes these two types of teachers become so different bc honestly hating Ian is wild he doesn't even seem THAT bad.
ReplyDeleteI get what you mean, Calendie
DeleteJune, your stories are always so refreshing! I love the structure of this one. The moving between memory and present for both Jill and Ian leads us right into the satisfaction of the ending. Their reconnection as friends, the move from teacher-student, is a natural progression here because we can see the impact they are having on each other throughout the story. As a teacher myself, this transition always feels gratifying to me. As I hope you know.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much!
DeleteIt was a lovely story, June. Loved the flashbacks and the flow of it. Also, the lesson within the story, of how everyone is unique and might need different sorts of guidance, was powerful and strong. And the support of Jill, it was just wonderful.
ReplyDeleteThank you!
DeleteLoved the parallels of memories as the story progressed! It gave the story a beautiful flow and helped make the conclusion more satisfying.
ReplyDeleteThank you!
DeleteAmazing job!
ReplyDeleteGreat story!!! It flowed beautifully, thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThis story reminded me of my grade school teacher back then. He's an excellent teacher. Taught me different ways to on how to learn life. Thank you for writing this story. It encouraged me to reconnect with him again.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this story. I felt I could relate to both student and teacher. Well done.
ReplyDeleteIt's great that Jill never gave up on Ian. I like to imagine that Ian's pants were all covered in dirt when he dropped those ants in the classroom. That's how she knew it was him. A lot of kids are like Ian. To have one person believe in you and push you through does wonders. Great story!
ReplyDeleteAw, this was quite sweet. I loved seeing the two perspectives throughout the story. It really gave me a fuller understanding on the characters' thoughts and feelings.
ReplyDeleteThis is a wonderful story! I sometimes substitute teach in a middle school, and I appreciate the realism of the story. The characters are well portrayed.
ReplyDeleteA moving story that shows how time reshapes relationships—turning old struggles into gratitude and unexpected friendship. Well done.
ReplyDeletelovely story! beautifully written and very engaging and heart-warming!
ReplyDeleteThis was such a moving and heartfelt story. I love how it captures the way time reshapes both memory and relationships!! A great reminder of the lasting impact teachers have, and how those bonds can come full circle.
ReplyDeleteIt's really cool to see students who really challenged their teachers (dean) end up being the ones who are remembered most fondly
ReplyDeleteI can relate to Ian. I kinda was that kid who pushed boundaries and gave teachers a hard time, but looking back I see how much patience and care they gave me. It means the world now
ReplyDeleteThis is a lovely story! It wonderfully captures the emotions of both characters and demonstrates how time changes your perspective.
ReplyDeleteJune, I like your stories. You also pick something poignant that speaks to my own life experiences. I can relate to both the emotional journey of the teenager... and the suprise and actual happiness when I have connected with someone from a previous phase of my life on FB or other Social Media platform. It's truly an amazing connection from past to present and you have shown that beautifully.
ReplyDeleteYou are a writer that I seek out to read. Please keep up with your writing.
I love how you write. You make the characters feel real and I could actually see everything that was happening in my head
ReplyDeleteThis was amazingly written! Enjoyed every single word.
ReplyDeleteI absolutely love this story! It left me wanting more!!! Very well written.
ReplyDeleteLoved it! The memories you naturally let play out between the characters allows for that beautiful ending. And as the student on the side of that relationship, I’m so grateful for those relationships. This story let me see another perspective, and that’s my favorite kind of story.
ReplyDeleteThe story was wonderful. It took me back to a time when I was much like Ian. My philosophy was to learn everything in our class books and not just what was being taught. I hated studying just to get a good grade. I loved to learn. I was fortunate to have several teachers who taught me how to learn on my own. This is one of the necessary steps to being a success at anything. You've placed the images in our minds and then you told us the story again and again. The story was like a movie for me. I found myself wanting to learn more about Ian and his teacher even when the story was over.
ReplyDeleteA moving story and really well written. It hooks you from beginning to end. Congratulations.
ReplyDeleteI can "feel" this story. That's difficult to describe, but the story reminds me of my younger self (Ian) as I tried to wind my way through school. I too was a gifted child and was constantly put in higher level or advanced classes ... while I just wanted to be a kid. I remember doing inappropriate things as well, not so much to be bad but maybe ... to get attention? Maybe to feel like something other than this little, no-everything, kid. And how I was constantly picked on by higher grade kids as I sat in their classes rather than those of my age and usual grade level. I was stuck between trying to prove how smart I was and how I was just a regular kid. That haunted me for years as I seemed the need to constantly have to prove myself among my peers, yet being the more intelligent of the bunch. This led to me volunteering for various difficult assignments while in the military, trying possibly to prove that I could be smart and brave and willing to do "man" things.
ReplyDeleteBut I also identify with Jill. As a law enforcement officer, I served in many capacities but mostly in the area of narcotics. (Yeah, again going for a special or difficulty assignment?) As such, I encountered many people and many of which came under charges and most entered prison. But even today, I get notes and comments from many that I worked a case on telling me that while they weren't too happy to go to jail or prison, they appreciated the fact that I had treated them with respect, rather than contempt. One even thanked me for saving her life, telling me that the conversation she and I had had in which I told her that she was a smart young lady but was with the wrong crowd ... which would lead her down a path from which she would have a hard time surviving. That once she got out of prison (yes, she was a felon) that she move away from this town and area. She told she did, found new friends, got married, and has been cleaned a number of years now. I have about 5 or 6 convicted felons or former bikers on my Facebook friends list. (And some current bikers as well).
This story, Jill and Ian, fit well with my story and brought back memories that I had long ago forgotten, or shoved to the back of mind.
A storm rages outside tonight and I've been unwinding with a jigsaw, mulling over nagging worries regarding my children, their educational journeys and relating them to mine. Rolled up together, we have all been Ian. Heck, we all are Ian without being rolled together! Though none of us are at genius level, we have all been that awkward child; non-conforming, covertly rebellious, subversive, holding anybody and everybody in the adult world to account to the point of recklessness but all the time yearning to be accepted. It took me close on forty years to stop yearning and recognise that I'm okay and even better than okay, some days.
ReplyDeleteThe bad teachers we all encountered are far too easy to remember, even after over fifty years, in my case. Supporting my children through the education system has made me remember and cherish the good ones now far more. Adult eyes have revealed the suspect aspects of the bad for what they were. Thank goodness for instinct and for a mother who made sure she was involved in my education journey!
Thank you so much, June! Your characters speak to the inner conviction that the good teachers must have blazing in their souls. They recognise the potential within even the supposedly "bad" child, the disruptive one, the one who dares to ask those awkward questions, the answer to which the teacher should really know but doesn't, the one who mounts the campaign of civil disobedience and tells the principal that they are behaving deceitfully towards their students. Yes, that was all me! LOLOLOL!!!
I've often wondered where the good teachers of my school years went and how they fared. Would I have the courage to thank them for all the good they did for me, if I met them again? I hope so. Jill has made me wonder what it must be like from the point of view of the good teacher, newly retired. Can they, do they, all step out of their Teacher status and reveal their true selves after retirement, if they encounter an Ian they once taught? I hope so.
Your characters have gently prised open my memories and got me thinking more deeply from the Good Teacher's side - no bad thing in itself - but an impossibility had you not so carefully crafted Jill and Ian, June. Thank you for getting me to think more deeply on some of the most fundamental relationships that have shaped my life forever! I'm very grateful to you, June and to all the Good Teachers who saw good in me! Without them, I probably would not have survived.
N.B. I know that this is far from the orthodox review and that I'm supposed to spout lavish praise about your word choice and ideas and so forth but I think your story is worth far more, June because it speaks to insight. Your story has provoked a positive train of thought which is far more valuable than admiring your choice of adjectives! I hope I haven't upset you too much with my review.
Red, I loved your review :)
DeleteAs a former child therapist I know kids like Ian all too well. For me your story was a bit choppy and difficult to follow, but very well intended. I wish you luck with it and with other stories in the future. I found the lines between the paragraphs very distracting and wish they could be removed.
ReplyDeleteThis is a rare reminder that the internet can in fact sometimes serve the purpose it was initially created to serve: that is, to bring people together, if only virtually. Even though this was more "slice of life," than propulsive, I found myself not just invested, but held in suspense by a question: would Jill accept Ian's friend request? Under most circumstances that would seem a petty bagatelle, but here whether she accepts or not says a lot about the ability to forgive, and the faith that time can change someone. The ending—cathartic as it was—wasn't a given. There are, after all, plenty of "man babies" out there who never grow up.
ReplyDeleteHere, though, the "up" ending felt organic, which is not always easy to do.
This was a pretty touching story. From the little touches about never acquiring a dish washer to the struggles of the boy with ADHD in school it had a really nice flow. It was very reminiscing from both sides and was an enjoyable read. I felt where they were both coming from almost as if they were my fond memories.
ReplyDeleteVery moving and very well written. Quite relatable,.
ReplyDeleteVery well written descriptively regarding the characters. I believe we have all known such a teacher and Ian as a student or ourselves! Thought provoking and honestly portrayed in both characters. Both have heart!
ReplyDeleteI shot spit wads at a provoking student, in 6th grade, threw a plastic ketchup bottle at a cafeteria wall in junior high, got caught smoking by the Dean in high school. All resulting in consequences.
Consequences, either good or bad or just or unjust, are what build character.
Great story of consequences!
Great story, reminded me of my son and reminded me not everyone sees folks who are a bit different negatively. Thanks for sharing it.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this. It's such a poignant look at a relationship we all know and understand yet perhaps never really thought much of. I love how vivid Ian's challenges and growing up is captured alongside Jill's guidance and the lessons that she herself learns.
ReplyDeleteWow, this really got me. I love how it showed both sides—the teacher remembering all the chaos he caused and Ian finally seeing it from her perspective as a grown-up and dad. It felt so real, like the way life circles back and gives people chances to reconnect. The ending was honestly sweet… not just Ian getting his “second chance,” but Jill too, finding new purpose after retirement.
ReplyDeleteI absolutely loved this story.
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely story! The characters really come alive. So poignant. I love it. ^_^ For improvements, I'd suggest looking for redundancies (such as "embroidered" in the first paragraph) and finding ways to remove or reword them. :-) Delightful story! :-D
ReplyDeleteOh you are right! Too many ‘embroiders’ in the first paragraph!
DeleteI really liked this short story. I think it is well written, and it made you feel emotions for the two characters, Jill and Ian,, throughout to the very end, which was very sweet and also very true about how you can always continue learning, no matter what age you are.
ReplyDeleteexcellent story, love how you made to characters come to life, I love the flow of the story , love your work. keep it up
ReplyDeletethis is a bautiful story! It was very poignant and the emotions were portrayed in such a meaningful way. the writing style is also really good, and helps me visualize the storyy. keep up the awesome work <33
ReplyDeleteVery poignant story about the struggles of understand gifted kids and their needs. Hits close to home for me! I appreciate that you included the student’s point of view to help dispel the misguided ideas that “gifted kids are just really smart” and that they should always be compliant. And the idea that they should help teach the other students - that’s not their job!
ReplyDeleteIt made me cry. It is a precious moment to find a great teacher who won't give up on you and direct you to a better path. You may find it annoying at first because, well, you are still on that phase, learning and growing up, but eventually, when you reach that age and maturity and upon looking back, you will feel grateful for all those patience and guidance.
ReplyDeleteOn the other side, I am happy that the teacher felt I think proud and contented that all her hardship bore fruit at the end.
Great story and thank you for sharing!
This came out absolutely amazing. I loved every minute
ReplyDeleteLeviosa62
ReplyDeleteWhat an amazing story. If only all parents could provide that level of attention to their children. It seems like American schools are failing kids left and right, but June Wolfman has certainly captured a lovely scenario where it doesn’t have to be failure upon failure. Thank you for pointing us to a more optimistic solution.
ReplyDeleteWow. That was done so well. I absolutely love the style of writing
ReplyDeleteJill is just the kind dean any misunderstood problem kid needs, and your writing style really made the interactions come to life <33
ReplyDeleteThe getting back in touch part was written so sweetly :D It's making me want to recontact my old homeroom teacher.
Love the 2 sides, Ian re-evaluating all his actions from an adult's point of view was just lovely. XD