Final bell.
Noisy pandemonium erupts and is sustained for ten minutes before gradually fading to silence.
Nola Baxter lifts her head from her hands. Now it is safe to emerge from her cocoon.
Looking around the grounds outside her classroom door, Nola utters an expletive.
Damn kids, she thinks.
They have left the place in shambles — papers, jerseys, lunch boxes and even the odd shoe scattered across the playground.
How inconsiderate! How irresponsible! she mutters under her breath.
Little pigs! Little monsters! Is this the thanks I get?
Nola is so tired. She is completely spent.
She used to love teaching. She used to enjoy getting out of bed in the morning.
Now she is just so damn tired.
With a sigh she leans down and starts to pick up the litter in front of her home-away-from-home.
Maybe it is time to resign. she thinks. Maybe I should call it quits.
I’m not getting through to these kids anyway! They certainly don’t appreciate anything I do.
One piece of paper catches her eye — an A5 paper folded into fourths and brightly decorated.
It looks like a note that has been passed from one person in the class to another.
Nola’s temper rises again. They don’t even listen to me! Too busy passing notes.
Curiosity gets the better of her and she unfolds the letter.
“I love Mrs Baxter. She is my best teacher ever.”
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Today’s assignment: You stumble upon a random letter on the path. You read it. It affects you deeply, and you wish it could be returned to the person to whom it’s been addressed. Write a story about this encounter.
Today’s twist: Approach this post in as few words as possible.
Sep 19, 2014 @ 22:24:40
Love the surprise at the end! I could see how that would make the teacher’s day!
Sep 19, 2014 @ 22:41:47
It’s a very special job. Every time we’re feeling low one of our students blessed us! Very tough but super rewarding! 🙂
Sep 19, 2014 @ 22:31:21
Very descriptive. I can see Nola in the play ground and feel how she feels. Great use of internal dialog, too!
Sep 19, 2014 @ 22:36:40
Thanks for that! I’d written in first person and decided to change it — give Nola a bit of distance from the narrator. Was worried it wouldn’t work. So appreciate your comments!
Sep 20, 2014 @ 22:39:13
That’s interesting because I was going to ask you if you had thought about writing it in the first person to make it feel more personal. Cool! 🙂
Sep 19, 2014 @ 22:43:43
I liked it, the twist ending was just the right touch! Nola’s frustration really come across well. I also think your use of brief sentences met the challenge well.
Sep 19, 2014 @ 22:57:46
Thank you! (Can you tell I am a teacher?)
Sep 20, 2014 @ 00:07:03
This was so sweet, and you are an amazing writer.
Sep 20, 2014 @ 07:58:14
Thank you for taking the time to read and respond. It is difficult to explain how much your ten words mean to me. I have been named many things in my life. This is the first time anyone has called me a writer! Red letter day. Thank you. 🙂