oh the wonder

oh the wonder

fiction
Edward w Pritchard

My secret reasons were anything but altruistic. I founded the school for pregnant teenage girls for money. For the reward money.

It was difficult to get a permit to open a classroom. The teacher's union in town objected because I would be teaching classes without a teaching certificate. A local baker's union officer wrote an editorial in the local paper that we were serving non union bread at lunch time. A few of the churches in town somehow objected to helping pregnant teenagers as encouraging promiscuity. Conservative political groups locally object to our school receiving State Aide to buy text books and supplies. Liberal political groups locally object to our school taking jobs from Licensed teachers. [ I am the only paid employee]

Three million dollars is a lot of motivation to a man like me and I overcame all obstacles to try to obtain the reward money. Lauren Murphy the heiress is pregnant and missing from her New York apartment and I have conceived of an elaborate plan to find her. I hope the opportunity to receive  education and comfort will entice sixteen year old Lauren to show up at my school here in Ohio.

Each night I stay up late to prepare a lesson plan. I focus on life skills, practical things that a new parent can use. But, I also make sure that each class I teach has traditional classroom subjects emphasized. Most of the young women work hard at our school. They keep a notebook for each subject and prepare homework each night for the next day.

My task of running the school and teaching got easier about two weeks ago. The Mennonite church counsel in our State has been providing me with teaching aide volunteers. Older retired women help in the class room. I have taken to letting them teach the parenting skills classes. Their assistance is invaluable, they are angels of mercy.

We now have eleven students in our morning class and fourteen in the afternoon group. My day starts at seven AM and I get home about six. Each evening I spend an hour or two in preparation for tomorrow. I haven't had trouble sleeping since I became a teacher, I am very tired at night.

Sometimes when I connect with some of the students in a class I enjoy the teaching for the work itself. At such times the wonder of what I do as a teacher  comes upon me and the effort is worth all the headaches I put up with to teach my students. At such times I forget that I entered teaching for the big reward money and just enjoy my day to day life as a teacher.