Woodcutter's Revival by Jerry Slauter Page B

where she could press the issue. Simply because she was able to express her view did not mean her words would be heeded or even considered. She was beginning to question that if he was so strong, why was he so afraid of allowing anybody to break through his veneer. She was also beginning to understand that actions postured as self-respect were actually attempts to gain or convince himself of respect by dominating others.
    Victoria began to reintroduce reality into the situation, “Enough of worrying about what happened. We need to consider what we are going to do. Since people respected Mr. Peters, we will have to be careful what we say and what steps we take to replace him.”
    Mr. Thomas interjected, “If we try to use one of his friends, they will undoubtedly know the alleged problems he has discussed with them. We need to bring someone in who is intelligent but unaware of the way things operate, naive.”
    â€œYou mean someone you can control?”
    â€œI was thinking more in the lines of someone we could train into our way of thinking and mold him into a leader.”
    Victoria had never seen Edward perplexed like he was today. She had a sudden realization of fear that the man she most admired in her life might have strongly different ways of thinking about how people ought to be treated than she had. “But, who could we find, Father?”
    They both thought of the same person, but were reluctant to offer their thoughts for fear of what the other might say. Their motives varied, also. Mr. Thomas thought a young, well-read man, with work experience, in what might be considered a family business, might be easier to control and shape into his own image than one of the local people.
    He had not spent any extra money educating these people for more than just the expense. Oh, he provided a school, but that was more to indoctrinate than to educate. He feared that the more people were educated the less they tended to be controllable. He had justified this belief by referencing that Fredrick Douglass, a slave who broke the law by educating himself and becoming a writer and orator was able to get the anti-slavery message out.
    Victoria’s choice reflected the belief that the young man might have some potential – maybe personally and professionally. She justified her position by stating, “Did you notice how that, I think his name was Raymond, took charge and kept a cool head in the emergency?”
    Edward said, “There is one other problem we have to discuss.”
    â€œWhat is that?”
    â€œApparently, and coincidentally, our school teacher, Kimberly Knox has given notice. I never would have guessed she would leave when Mr. Peters left,” Edward said as he gave Victoria an overly dramatic wink of the eye.
    â€œWell, she was only renewed with reservations last year. We were going to have to dismiss her this year anyway. She signed on last August, but did not report to work until two weeks before Thanksgiving. She was warned several times about being considered the town gossip by sharing confidential information about students and their families. She was like Mr. Gradgrind in Dickens’s novel, Hard Times . She thought she could reduce education to a mathematical equation. She thought she could convey all facts without appealing the emotion of the learner. What was her reason?”
    Mr. Thomas replied, “She says she is going to take an administrative position down at South West School of Education. She will be leading a faculty of seventeen teachers and professors. How would you like to work for her?”
    â€œNot if she leads the way she taught. Besides, I think we are talking more about controlling and managing the faculty, not leading them. You have to know something about education and learning to lead other teachers,” Victoria said.
    At breakfast, Daryl came down in his traveling clothes. Raymond asked, “Are you going to work in those