Stolen Lines

After hanging up the phone, I stood for awhile looking out my window and wondering if I should have told him no. 

My fiancee was already living in a tiny little town in south Texas.  He was stationed there with the Navy.  I had just quit my very first teaching job.  Rather, I finished out the school year, and turned down their offer to return the following fall.  It felt like quitting, and like jumping without a parachute.  I was moving halfway across the country to a town that had two stop lights and more churches than restaurants... possibly more churches than families.  I had blanketed south Texas schools with my resume, but who there was going to hire a Yankee second-year teacher with creds like mine?  No one in my own state had ever heard of my undergrad institution. Small liberal arts Catholic college on full scholarship for the win?   History major.  Education 7-12 certification. Hmmm... maybe there would be a bookstore that would hire me when I got there...

And then I got the call.  From the principal of the middle school of that very same small town.  

A few resume questions.  And then... Would you be willing to teach special education?  7th and 8th grade?
  
I had never taught special education.  I was completely unsure what kinds of questions to ask in response to this. Later I would learn that it would have been appropriate to ask whether the classes were self-contained, what kind of kids under the "special ed" umbrella were we talking about -- students with learning disabilities? emotional disturbance? intellectual disabilities? an autism spectrum disorder? students who really shouldn't be receiving special education services but since no one else can deal with them they found a way to classify them to get them out of the "main stream" classes?

Had I asked these questions, the answer would have been simple:  Yes.

And that was my answer... yes.  I thought:  I'm young. I'm smart. I'm willing to learn.  I can make it work.  I was excited to be employed, to have a plan, to take on this challenge. 

We talked about other things, a start date (surprisingly early!) and other details that I don't remember. I recall thinking how fast it was all happening, and how I was going to have to get a plane ticket, stat, which would be a pain and probably expensive.  (This was before the Internet was in every home, kids.)  I was also thinking, Bullshark is at sea... how the hell am I gonna get into his apartment and move in?  

And then, right as we were wrapping up the phone call, he dropped this question on me, in a tone that suggested that he knew that the answer was a foregone conclusion:

By the way, would you be willing to be the pep squad / cheerleader sponsor for the junior high girls?

After hanging up the phone, I stood for awhile looking out my window and wondering if I should have told him no.


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I stole this line from page 220 of Rules of Civility by Amor Towles

DaisyJD brought back the Law With Grace classic.  This is my contribution.  My prior foray into stolen lines can be seen here.  (I always liked #6).