during the lecture. Now that was beyond rude.
But the teacher, Mr. Blake, didn’t seem to notice or care. Maybe the lack of respect was normal, too. He thought it a sad state of affairs.
That class ended with the sounding of a bell, and Rys left with everyone else, heading to his next class. The behavior of the students in all four classes, from History to Biology, was remarkably similar. They all wrote on paper or in notebooks while the teacher talked, or they read from the textbooks. Really, if they were going to ignore the teacher like this, why bother to attend classes at all? They should just stay home and mail in their assignments.
The bell rang for lunch. Rys stepped out of the classroom, mentally reviewing the map in his mind, and deciding the best route to get to the cafeteria. He was wondering what he would buy to eat when the loud speaker above his head came to life with an announcement.
“Will Arystair Savar please come to the principal’s office,” a calm female voice requested. “I repeat, will Arystair Savar please come to the principal’s office.”
Principal’s office? Why? Puzzled, he turned around and headed in the opposite direction, the one that would take him to the office. It took no small amount of determination to make it through the crowd, but he finally managed to break free of the crush of bodies, and walk through the main doors of the office.
He was barely inside when he spotted Sara sitting in a chair near the door. “Sara?”
She had a nervous smile on her face. “Arystair, did one of your teachers talk to you today?”
“No, ma’am,” he responded slowly, thinking about the title, but deciding it was appropriate in this instance. “To tell you the truth, I’ve been pretty much ignored all morning. Is something wrong?”
She sighed and nodded in response. “Rule number one for high school, Arystair. If you’re called to the Principal’s Office, you’re generally in trouble.”
“Oh.” He couldn’t think of a more elaborate response than that.
The door to the Principal Office opened at that moment, and a pencil thin woman wearing a severe black suit stepped outside. “Mrs. Bloch?”
“Yes, that’s me,” Sara confirmed.
The woman managed a polite smile. “I’m Principal Holland. Come in, please. And you,” she gave Rys an appraising study from head to toe, “must be Arystair Savar.”
I know that look. My drill sergeant used to get the same look on his face when I somehow screwed up. “Yes ma’am.”
“Step inside, please.”
Rys felt like he should be calling for backup before he ventured across the threshold, only he was not sure who to call. All things considered, Sara was probably the best advisor he could have in this situation. As a parent of five children, she surely understood the terrain and spoke the vernacular to figure out why the principal was already mad at him. Not to mention the right phrases to clear up the matter, and put him back on an even keel.
He stepped inside, taking the seat next to Sara. He thought it strange that Mr. Blake, his history teacher, was there as well.
Principal Holland took her seat behind the massive oak desk in the room. “Now then, Mr. Blake called this parent-teacher conference as he felt it necessary to preempt any future problems. Mr. Blake, if you would explain, please.”
“Certainly.” Blake turned to look directly at Sara, as if Rys was somehow as important as the potted plant in the corner. “Mrs. Bloch, I realize you hardly need trouble on the first day of school with this young man, but I felt it was important for you to know that he has the wrong attitude to be successful here. He did not participate at all today during class. He didn’t have his book out, he wasn’t taking notes, and he didn’t advance a single comment or question during the entire period. He isn’t going to make any progress if he doesn’t put in some sort of effort.”
Rys went very still as he started to realize his
But the teacher, Mr. Blake, didn’t seem to notice or care. Maybe the lack of respect was normal, too. He thought it a sad state of affairs.
That class ended with the sounding of a bell, and Rys left with everyone else, heading to his next class. The behavior of the students in all four classes, from History to Biology, was remarkably similar. They all wrote on paper or in notebooks while the teacher talked, or they read from the textbooks. Really, if they were going to ignore the teacher like this, why bother to attend classes at all? They should just stay home and mail in their assignments.
The bell rang for lunch. Rys stepped out of the classroom, mentally reviewing the map in his mind, and deciding the best route to get to the cafeteria. He was wondering what he would buy to eat when the loud speaker above his head came to life with an announcement.
“Will Arystair Savar please come to the principal’s office,” a calm female voice requested. “I repeat, will Arystair Savar please come to the principal’s office.”
Principal’s office? Why? Puzzled, he turned around and headed in the opposite direction, the one that would take him to the office. It took no small amount of determination to make it through the crowd, but he finally managed to break free of the crush of bodies, and walk through the main doors of the office.
He was barely inside when he spotted Sara sitting in a chair near the door. “Sara?”
She had a nervous smile on her face. “Arystair, did one of your teachers talk to you today?”
“No, ma’am,” he responded slowly, thinking about the title, but deciding it was appropriate in this instance. “To tell you the truth, I’ve been pretty much ignored all morning. Is something wrong?”
She sighed and nodded in response. “Rule number one for high school, Arystair. If you’re called to the Principal’s Office, you’re generally in trouble.”
“Oh.” He couldn’t think of a more elaborate response than that.
The door to the Principal Office opened at that moment, and a pencil thin woman wearing a severe black suit stepped outside. “Mrs. Bloch?”
“Yes, that’s me,” Sara confirmed.
The woman managed a polite smile. “I’m Principal Holland. Come in, please. And you,” she gave Rys an appraising study from head to toe, “must be Arystair Savar.”
I know that look. My drill sergeant used to get the same look on his face when I somehow screwed up. “Yes ma’am.”
“Step inside, please.”
Rys felt like he should be calling for backup before he ventured across the threshold, only he was not sure who to call. All things considered, Sara was probably the best advisor he could have in this situation. As a parent of five children, she surely understood the terrain and spoke the vernacular to figure out why the principal was already mad at him. Not to mention the right phrases to clear up the matter, and put him back on an even keel.
He stepped inside, taking the seat next to Sara. He thought it strange that Mr. Blake, his history teacher, was there as well.
Principal Holland took her seat behind the massive oak desk in the room. “Now then, Mr. Blake called this parent-teacher conference as he felt it necessary to preempt any future problems. Mr. Blake, if you would explain, please.”
“Certainly.” Blake turned to look directly at Sara, as if Rys was somehow as important as the potted plant in the corner. “Mrs. Bloch, I realize you hardly need trouble on the first day of school with this young man, but I felt it was important for you to know that he has the wrong attitude to be successful here. He did not participate at all today during class. He didn’t have his book out, he wasn’t taking notes, and he didn’t advance a single comment or question during the entire period. He isn’t going to make any progress if he doesn’t put in some sort of effort.”
Rys went very still as he started to realize his
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