The First Year

The End

OK, BC, time to go home.

Sure Gil, I was just thinking back. This year seemed like forever. I think I aged 10 years in the last 10 months.

You were a bit green that first week, like all newbies. You were out to save the world weren’t you?

We all were, I guess. We really had no idea what we were getting into. I never would have made it without you Gil.

I have been in this school for 50 years. I graduated and didn’t have money for college so I got a job working here and just never left. I have seen a lot of things happen in there halls, not all good either.

I guess I just miss Super Steve. I cried at graduation Saturday. He was the first student I have had to die.

And the last if you are lucky

He was such a good kid. Everybody liked him. I remember after Finals in December he played the guitar and the whole class sang along. Mr. Thompson’s class even came over and joined in.

Keep those positive memories, they keep us all going. If you dwell in the negatives you will burn out, get negative or both.

Kind of like Mr. Shakespeare?

I didn’t say that but you are right.

I knew him as a student. He was stuck up even back then. He came here to save the world like you all do. When that didn’t happen he got bitter. I feel sorry for him sometimes. His wife left him several years ago; just couldn’t take his attitude.

Mr. Gilbert, Mr. Caller, it is time to go home. You guys have a good summer break.

OK, Mrs. Dean. We were just talking.

Gil here has more wisdom than anybody in the Guidance Department. School of Hard Knocks.

Yes, Mrs. Sarah, I remember when you graduated. Valedictorian. I figured you would go out and change the world but you came back here. I never would have guessed it. You even brought Mr. Dean here from the big city.

This school and this town are my home. These students are my children, all 900 of them. I hurt when they hurt and laugh when they laugh. By the way BC, don’t forget to be at the house tonight at 6:00. Kim is looking forward to showing you off to some of her college friends. She really likes you, as does Daniel.

Thanks Mrs. Dean. Do I need to bring anything?

Why don’t you bring Gil? He needs to get out some anyway.

Mrs. Sarah, you know I won’t fit in.

I’ll have nothing of it! BC will pick you up at 5:30. Who knows we might even get you a 22 year old girlfriend.

Only if they are rich and good looking. I’ll be there.

Are any other faculty coming?

Just a few. Smitty, Wilma and Fred.

Sounds good. I’ll bring Gil.

You know, BC, I remember when Kim was born. I watched that little girl grow up into a beautiful young lady and come back here as a teacher, and a good one at that. It is nice to see you two getting to be close. It was hard on her growing up as the Principal’s daughter.

She is pretty special isn’t she? I wonder how she got through college without some guy catching her but I sure am glad she came back here. My dad was in the military so we moved around a lot. I went to 3 schools in the 3rd grade and 6 in High School. The allure of home was new to me when I got here but I am beginning to understand it. Do you suppose I will ever be accepted as a local around here?

Only if you marry a local girl and stay here for the rest of your life. When they bury you, you will finally be one of the boys. That’s the way most small towns are. We are no different than 1000 others.

Chapter 1

The First Day

Good morning class. This is Senior College Prep World History. Please check your schedules and make sure this is the right place. I am Mr. Caller. Let’s begin with the roll call.

Mr. Carter Here

Mr. Choy Here

Mr. Daniels Here

Mr. Folds Here

Mr. Holder Here

Miss Kraft Here

Mr. Martinez Here

Mr. Morgan Here

Mr. Morton Here

Mr. Quaterman Here

Mr. Salter Here

Miss Smith, Kaitlyn Here

Miss Smith, Kathy Here

Mr. Smith Here

Mr. Upchurch Here

Mr. Williams Here

The Speech

"OK, ladies and gentlemen. Here there will be some basic rules. Now I know every teacher gives you the same rules about attendance and tardies but I have some special rules. This is Senior World History. There is no State-mandated test at the end of the Semester and you have all passed the graduation test already so I have the liberty of teaching pretty much how and what I want as long as it is on the state curriculum. My job here is NOT to pass you or fail you but to prepare you for life after graduation. In May you will leave Wilson County High and go out to take on the world. It is my job and that of your other Senior teachers to get you ready since we can’t get the world ready for what you will do to it.

I have one very special rule. I will address you in this room as Mr. or Miss and you will always address me as Mr. Caller. Some of you have noticed the pink piggy bank on my desk. If I fail to address you properly I must put a quarter in the bank. If you address me or a classmate improperly you must put a dime in the bank. The change will be used for a special prize at the end of the year. I know this takes some getting used to so I will give you one week before we start collecting change.

Also, there will be no grammatical errors on papers in this class. You will do one research paper per month and I will return them for corrections until they meet my standards. I will give you a handout tomorrow with my criteria. Also, I will need e-mail addresses for each of you and a parent if possible so I can assist you after hours. There are only 15 in this class so we are going to treat it as if it were a college class. If anyone who does not have a computer or internet at home please see me after class.

This class doesn’t have to be hard but it will be different. We will rarely read the textbook and I will rarely spend 45 minutes giving a lecture. This classroom is set up for wireless internet so feel free to bring laptops to class for research. I have already cleared this with the administration and the media center. Just remember the school has filters for restricted sites. Tests will be given on the computers too so a laptop will help there. I only have 4 computers here and we can’t always get to the media center.

I only have 3 personal rules:

1. Never miss class if at all possible

2. Get plenty of rest so you can function well at school.

3. Try not to let personal issues become school issues.

Are there any questions?"

Mr. Caller, I do not have a computer at home

It was Shadrach Martinez.

Well, Mr. Martinez, see me after class and I will see what we can do about that. OK?

Yes Sir

There is a sheet being passed around to give me some needed information. This is just for my use. I promise not to share this with the school. Please, I need a current phone number and e-mail address for you and at least one parent or guardian so I can contact you. Things happen during the school year and I may need to get in touch with you in a hurry.

Mr. Caller, my retarded sister can’t remember her e-mail address. May I give you mine twice until she remembers it?

Miss Smith. Is it Kathy? First of all, we NEVER use the word retarded or retard or idiot in this room. I know you gifted students think it is cute but I will not have it in here. We may have to go down the hall and let you guys spend a day helping work with the severely challenged students for an hour.

I’m sorry. We just always talk about each other like that.

I know. I was in accelerated classes all through school.

Mr. Caller. Where are you from anyway? You are not from here.

That is correct Mr. Smith. I assume you are related to the twins here.

You would be correct but we don’t claim that side of the family. They are the dark side.

We are not, you little twerp!

Stop! How are we supposed to address each other? That would have just cost you a dime. Remember we are supposed to treat each other with respect and the last time I looked twerp was not Mr. Smith’s first name.

Will thought to himself that this was going to be an interesting few months. The rest of the class was laughing at the exchange between Steve and Kathy. Will knew he had to regain control immediately so he started passing out a sheet full of names and dates.

Just to see if you have learned anything in the past 12 years, counting Kindergarten, here is a list of 25 people and 25 dates. See how many you can match up. You may work in groups of three. Get started now, you have 15 minutes. Organize your own groups.

The students got to work quickly and Will had a few minutes to look over the group. They were an interesting group to be sure. There was Shadrach, obviously Hispanic. The Choy kid was clearly oriental, he looked Korean but Will was just guessing. There were the twins, identical but very different. Kaitlyn was dressed out of a fashion magazine while Kathy was in her best un-ironed khakis with a Wilson Co. High t-shirt. Yes, this was an interesting group.

Mr. Caller, I see William Shakespeare on here but there is no date for today.

I don’t mean THAT Mr. Shakespeare, Mr. Morton.

I guess all of you have Mr. Shakespeare for English.

Yes sir, last period. I am afraid this is going to be a long Semester in Senior English.

Now, Mr. Williams, is he that bad?

Oh, he is much worse. He is not cool like our other teachers. What about you? Are you cool, Mr. Caller?

Check back with me after the first test on that one Mr. Carter.

Will could tell this was a good bunch of students. They were going to do just fine in the class discussion times he had planned.

Ok, glass it is about time for the bell. Read the preface to the textbook tonight and be prepared to discuss the ideas therein tomorrow.

The last period was his planning so Will went to the Media Center to see about getting a computer for Shadrach.

Mrs. Winston, I have a minor problem I was wondering if you could help me work out.

What is it Mr. Caller. We in the Media Center are here to cause problems so the tech people can solve them.

I have a student, Shadrach Martinez, who does not have a computer and my class will require a lot of research from home. I was wondering if the school had some poor old abandoned desk top lying around he could check out for the year.

I am not familiar with him. Is he new to town?

I don’t know since I am new too but I suspect he is. None of the other students will have much to do with him and he does not seem to have any friends.

I wish I could help you but the county collects all of our used computers and sends them to the county prison. Why don’t you check with Mrs. Dean, she has contacts and can usually get some business in town to help out in cases of need.

Thanks, I will check with her. Have a great day.

Will headed down the hall to the Principal’s Office. He had only met Mrs. Dean a few times in pre-planning but she seemed to really care about her kids. It seemed like she knew every student by name and knew about their parents, brothers and sisters.

As he reached the Office a large man was leaving.

Hey, Will. How did the first classes go today?

It was Mr. Dean, Principal Dean’s husband and another teacher.

Ok, I guess. I have a minor problem and Wilma sent me down here to see if Mrs. Dean could help.

Well, come in then Mr. Caller. How can I help you?

I am not sure what I need but I have a student, Shadrach Martinez, who says he has no computer at home. I was hoping the school might have an old desk top he could check out but Mrs. Winston said they did not and said to see you. He will need the computer to do research for my class. I understand he rides the bus so he can’t stay after school or stay in town to use the public library.

Sounds like a minor problem indeed. Where is Mr. Martinez now?

I think they all have English this period. They are the college prep group and have all four classes together.

I will call him in and see about the situation. Thanks for getting on this in a hurry. Let me make a few calls and we will see if we can find this young man a computer. Do you allow the students to bring laptops to class?

Yes, Ma’am, I encourage them to do so since I only have 4 computers in my room.

Ok, then I will try to get him a laptop.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Caller. Have a great day.

Wilma, May I talk to you real quick?

Yes, Mrs. Dean, what do you need?

What do you now about a Shadrach Martinez? That name is new to me and I know almost everybody.

Never heard of him but I will pull up his records real quick. Let me contact Mrs. Mueller.

A few minutes later Wilma returned with a thick folder.

Mr. Martinez is a new student. His parents appear to be migrant farm workers so I guess they are in the county picking the vegetable crop. He is a straight A student, in fact he has a perfect 100 average for his 3 years on high school. He attended 10 different schools last year but still managed to have perfect attendance. If he qualified, he would easily be the Valedictorian.

Do we have a contact number for his parents?

Yes, but I recognize the number as belonging to one of the large farms. It is not a home phone.

Ok, Wilma, call Mr. Martinez to my office in about 30 minutes. I need to make a few contacts and see if I can scrape up him a laptop computer.

Sarah went to her office and called Bill Carmen at the bank. His wife was the head of the Math Department and he had been her friend since she was a child. He had been her father’s best friend.

Bill, this is Sarah. I may have a need and you can probably find the person or business to help me out.

Sure, sweetie, what do you need?

I have at least two students who have a need for a laptop computer and I was hoping you knew a business that was willing to donate them.

That should not be a problem. Dr. Allen gives a lot of money and the fruit company is good for helping out on those types of things. I assume you need the usual software so the students can do research and write papers and such.

You are a lifesaver Bill, one day this town will figure out how to thank you.

Just get those kids through Wilson High and on to college so they can be productive citizens and pay for my Social Security.

I was hoping they would pay for mine.

Wilma, call Mr. Martinez.

A few minutes later a young man knocked timidly on her door.

Come in Mr. Martinez. I just wanted to talk with you for a few minutes. You are new in town and I like to get to know the new students. You are not in any trouble.

Yes, Mrs. Dean.

Tell me a little about yourself. The records say you are quite a smart student but that your parents travel around a lot.

Yes, Ma’am. My parents work in the fields and I do too in the summers.

How long do you expect to be here then?

My father never got much of an education but we are hoping to spend all year here so I can graduate with a class I actually feel part of. We did the same thing six years ago for my older sister.

What is your sister doing now?

She has finished her Master’s Degree and is a teaching assistant at Stanford University. My parents are very proud of her.

They should be. I went to Stanford myself for my Bachelor’s Degree. I think it is a fine school. The reason I have called you in is to see if you would be willing to check out a laptop computer from the school for the year. I have a couple of businesses that I think will donate a computer. You will have to return it if you leave the school and at the end of the school year when you graduate.

My parents won’t take charity.

I knew you would say that so I want you to check it out like a textbook.

Let me ask my parents tonight, it is not a gift, correct?

That is correct, it is still school property. We are just letting you use it for this year.

Thank, you. I will ask my parents tonight. I know it would be a big help. We don’t have a phone but I am pretty sure the landlord has wireless internet he will let me log on through. Thank you again.

You are welcome, Shadrach. Do you have any younger siblings?

Just a little sister in the Sixth Grade. She may need to use the computer too.

That will be just fine. Now go back to class before you get too far behind. Have a good day.

Yes Ma’am.

Wilma, find out where Mr. Martinez lives. I want to go see his parents tonight. He seems like a very special young man.

Yes, Ma’am. I see you are taking a liking to him already.

You are right, as usual. He reminds me a lot of myself when I was his age. We had just moved back to town and I didn’t know anybody. Gil showed me the way around this school and helped me get through that first week. Mr. Shadrach needs a friend right now.

And you are it!

That is part of my job, Wilma. You run this school. It is my job to keep you from having to work too hard.

Chapter 2

The First Game

The rest of the first week was smooth as students and teachers began to settle in to the routine of school. Will enjoyed getting to know his twelve guys and three girls a little better. His other two classes were regular kids but the college group was his favorite.

On the second day of class the first sign of trouble began innocently enough when Kathy came in late. Will did not know this was a common problem but the reaction of the others gave him a clue.

Well, Miss Smith. I see you did remember to come to class but we began 10 minutes ago. Do you have a note?

Yes Sir, Mr. Caller. I was in the Guidance Office. Here is a note.

Thank you. Since you are here maybe you can get the discussion started on the reasons we study history.

‘Something about those who do not study history are doomed to repeat it."

Very good. Does anybody remember who said that?

I think it was Edmund Burke.

Very good, Miss Smith. That is very close

Now, who said History is bunk."

Mr. Shakespeare in English?

Maybe Mr. Morton, but it is usually credited to Henry Ford. What did Ford mean?

What is bunk? I have never heard of that word.

Mr. Carter, it means junk or worthless.

So, Henry Ford thought history was worthless. I like the man already.

Oh Kathy, you would like any guy that could give you a new Mustang.

Hold on, first Miss Smith, how are you to address your sister?

Do I have to call her Miss Smith? She is my own sister.

Yes, you do. You can be polite even to your own sister. Do you say ma’am to your mother?

Sometimes I do. This being polite is going to take some getting used to.

It is indeed. Now, back to Mr. Ford and Mr. Burke.

Which do you think had a better opinion of history, Mr. Daniels?

I suppose Mr. Burke did. Why did he say we are doomed to repeat history?

He actually said destined, not doomed, but the idea was that we should learn from the mistakes of others and not repeat them. For example, Napoleon lost his empire largely as a result of invading Russia. Hitler made the same mistake and lost WWII. What should we learn from their mistakes?

Don’t invade Russia!

Especially in winter. I hear it gets real cold there.

OK, Mr. Upchurch and Mr. Morgan.

So, why should you study history?

I guess so we won’t repeat other people’s mistakes.

But I never liked history. All of those dates and names confused me. How many King Henrys did England have really?

The discussion went on for most of the rest of the class period with some students admitting they liked history and most confessing they were not fond of the subject. Will just kept order and tried to direct the discussion in some useful directions. He enjoyed playing the devil’s advocate and stirring the pot a little here and there. These students were showing how much they had already learned without even knowing it and Will knew he could not have this type of free exchange with his other classes.

We have 15 minutes left before the bell. Your assignment for tonight is to find an example where someone either did learn from someone else’s mistake or did not and should have. You may get to work online and then read the first two sections of chapter one. That will be our discussion tomorrow.

Will walked among the students making small talk as they searched for the examples he sought. Shadrach and Arthur Williams were working on the desktops while the others used their laptops from home.

So, Mr. Upchurch, where are you from?

I am an exchange student from Great Britain. I live in Ipswich, England.

How do you like Wilson Co. High so far?

It is OK, I haven’t made many friends yet but some of these guys are being very good helping me get around. I think I am going to have a problem with Mr. Shakespeare though. I don’t like his attitude.

From what I have seen nobody likes his attitude but I just got here three weeks ago myself. Do you play any sports or have any hobbies?

I have played at football, what you call soccer, but I am not very good at it and haven’t played in years. We used to play it in school. I enjoy chess and I write computer programs in my spare time. I am writing a game now but it will take a while to finish.

Is there anything you like or don’t like so far?

The weather is so hot. England is much cooler. The food here is better but I do miss some of our local pub food.

I know where there is a restaurant that claims to serve pub food, but I never have really believed them.

Thanks Mr. Smith. We will have to try it one weekend.

We will indeed Mr. Upchurch. We will have to get you a date though because I am bringing Cindy, Miss Kraft, and three is an awkward number. You can bring her little sister, Carla. She is just a sophomore but she is not dating anyone yet. She is ugly but she has a nice personality.

She is not ugly!

OK, you two don’t argue about it. Now get to work on the assignment.

Will noticed Ben and Arthur, two football players having a lively discussion that seemed not to be about history.

Mr. Williams and Mr. Carter, what is so important?

We were just discussing the game Friday night. Mr. Carter might be the one who should learn from history. They have beaten us three years in a row, all with him at Quarterback.

Well, I have seen him at practice and he is pretty good, maybe even good enough to play some college football. It is a team game and I am sure everyone played a part in loosing those games.

Sure, Mr. Caller but you know who everyone blames, the Coach and the Quarterback. They only blame us linemen when we really mess up.

I know, Mr. Williams but Coach Beard says this might be a special team and from what I have seen at practice he could be right. I sense a desire among the players to be a good team and I see a lot of hard work at practice. We will find out Friday night if it all comes together.

For the rest of the period Will went from table to table getting to know his gang a little better. One table got his attention for the odd mix. Steve Smith, Cindy Kraft and Allen Morton were having a lively discussion about invading Russia.

Mr. Caller, how did Atilla the Hun succeed where Napoleon and Hitler failed?

Good question, Mr. Morton. What was the political state of Russia in Atilla’s day compared to Napoleon’s time period?

I suppose they were less advanced. Maybe they had less of an army at the time.

Good, so it may be more than just the cold weather that beat Napoleon.

I guess the Russian Army had something to do with it.

Very good Miss Kraft. What tactics might the Russian Army have used since the French Army of Napoleon was the best in Europe? Look at the Chapter on the Napoleonic Wars for a clue.

What are tactics?

Tactics are the small things an army does to try to achieve victory. Strategies are the overall plans, the big things.

So we want to see if there was something the Russians did in both Napoleon’s case and Hitler’s case that led to their defeats?

Correct Mr. Smith. By the way, I have heard other students call you Super Steve, why is that?

Well, I do a lot of things that some of them like. Some people say I am just good at anything I try. My favorite thing is music. I play guitar and brass and I am in the One-Act Play.

Don’t let him fool you Mr. Caller. He was the Best in State Actor for the past three years. He was the first freshman ever to win the award and he has led us to win the State Championship the past two years. Besides, he is my boyfriend and I only go out with the best.

Thanks for the info Miss Kraft.

Donnie Folds, Greg Holder and Ben Salter were at another table and having a lively discussion about something that seemed not related to the subject at hand.

Mr. Salter, what is your discussion about?

Greg, I mean Mr. Holder is saying leadership plays a bigger role than environment. He says the Russian people had more to do with defeating Napoleon than the weather. I think it was largely the weather.

Mr. Folds, what do you think?

I tend to side with Mr. Holder, I mean I am here and look at my parents. Both of them are losers and yet I ended up in the honors class. There must be more than DNA going on here.

OK, have you heard of nature vs. nurture?

No sir, what does that mean?

It is the chicken or the egg argument among educators. What is more important the natural intelligence, nature or the environment a person grows up in, nurture? Sort of, would Michael Jordan been a great basketball player if he had been born in Kenya?

I see, Jordan would never have been a great basketball player because he probably never would have played the game. He probably would have been great at another sport they do play. What do they play in Kenya?

Use the computer and look it up, use the google!

There you go Mr. Carter, use your imagination. Contrary to what some might say thinking is allowed in Wilson High.

Sadup Choy, Frank Morgan and Theo Quaterman were having a discussion in another group.

Mr. Choy, what is your discussion about?

We were comparing the failed invasion of Japan by the Chinese and Hitler’s failed invasion of England in WWII.

Good, must be pick on Hitler day but he is a spectacular failure.

Actually, we were comparing the weather in both cases. The Chinese ran into a typhoon and Hitler had to deal with the North Sea and the English Channel. Both appear to have been pretty nasty.

Mr. Quaterman, do you think it was the weather or just the presence of the English Channel that was Hitler’s biggest problem?

I think it was the Royal Navy, Hitler could not risk an invasion since he had very little naval support. Therefore, he had to try to overcome the British air force to protect his invasion fleet.

Mr. Morgan, what do you think?

I tend to agree with Theo, I mean Mr. Quaterman but I have read a lot about England and they do have some bad storms in the North Sea.

Keep the discussion going, it is almost time for the bell. OK, class, remember to read the first two sections of Chapter One for tomorrow and bring your decisions about learning from our mistakes also.

As the class filed out Will could see some dynamics developing in his charges. Most had known each other for years but adding Colin, Sadup and Shadrach had stirred the pot some. All three were very smart and they were challenging the established order. He wanted to meet the parents very much so he had sent notices to all of their parents for the open house this evening.

First however was football practice. Will was in charge of defensive backs. The best athletes wanted to play offense so Will was left with a bunch of undersized players with poor self-images that he had to mold somehow into a defensive unit. Ben Carter was a very good quarterback and he could make throws many high school quarterbacks could not. This was great for the offense but hard on the defense.

All DB’s over here, let’s work on our back tracking and timing when to turn around. I want to try getting more physical with the wide receivers, jam them at the line. Let’s practice on each other and surprise the offense when we start to scrimmage.

As the defensive backs, DB’s, began their drills Will watched, looking more for leadership than talent. He knew his guys were short on talent but they could do a lot with enthusiasm and hard work. One kid had begun to stand out in pre-season practices. Fred Brown was a better athlete than most and seemed to like playing defense. He even had a little attitude that got him in trouble in class sometimes but he could play football!

Fred and D’wayne come here.

Yes sir, Mr. Caller. What do you want?

You are the two best defensive backs out here. I want you to stay after practice and work on jamming receivers. Get a couple of others to stay too. I can get you home if you need a ride. I think Coach Beard is ready to scrimmage now, jam the receivers at the line and see how it messes up their pass routes. Remember, you can hit them for the first five yards before it becomes pass interference.

Sure Coach.

As the offense lined up for the friendly scrimmage they were in for a rude surprise as Fred and D’wayne began literally knocking down the receivers at the line. Ben often had nobody to throw the ball to.

Will, I like this strategy already! My offense has no idea what to do. I will have to start teaching the receivers how to avoid the jam. This thing might be great in the season because nobody around here plays defensive back that aggressively

I hope it upsets the passing routes. I am going to work on them getting back in to cover running plays. I know most teams around here like to run the ball down your throats. Our defensive line is good but the backs have to help out against the run too.

Good thinking, City High has had our number for the last five years. I know Coach Butts over there pretty well. It sure would be nice to start off by beating them. He is getting a little too cocky, even when we play golf. Do you play golf, Will?

Not very well sir, I never got to play much as a kid. Shame too because I was a military brat and even the worst bases had decent golf courses. Do you mind if some of the defensive backs stay late to work on jamming receivers?

Certainly not, Brown and Brooks look pretty good so far. Brown was ineligible last season and had to go to summer school to play this year. Brooks is an OK student. I try real hard to get all of my players to graduate and Brown is a real challenge.

Yes sir. Guidance has already assigned him an academic tutor. He comes to my class two days a week during my planning period. There are 3-4 others too. He seems weakest in math.

Yeah, he had to take both of his math classes in summer school. He can be a special football player though. You might get Miss Dean to help them out. She teaches math and PE so she can deal with athletes.

OK, everybody line up on the goal line, time for some sprints. Will, you want to run a few with the guys?

It has been a while but sure, I might outrun a couple of the OL.

At the whistle all of the players took off and Will surprised more than half by outrunning them for the 40 yard sprint. It felt good to be on the field, even if he was not competing any more. In his high school career he played with so many different teams that he never got to play much until his senior year. He played at a small college and never had a chance to turn professional but he had learned a lot from a lot of good coaches. He knew Coach Beard was good and he was feeling privileged to work for him.

After sprints, five defensive players stayed late. One was a real skinny 9th grader who had no talent and only weighed about 85 pounds at least he was blazing fast. Will could see he wanted to play a lot but just had never had any experience.

Son, what is your name?

Donald Preston, sir. My friends call me stick for obvious reasons.

Well I like the way you stayed out today. I like to take undersized guys and make defenders out of them. I can’t promise you a lot of playing time but I can promise you a lot of practice. Just be ready when your time comes in a couple of years.

Yes sir, I know I’m not very big but I was sick a lot the last couple of years and spent most of last year in a hospital. I am OK now but I just don’t have much energy.

Well I am glad to have you on my team. Don’t let Coach Beard trick you into playing offense. You are one of my guys now. Do you need a ride home?

No, thanks, I will walk. It’s only a couple of miles to my house.

Coach, he lives twelve miles from here. I will give him a ride with me.

Thanks, D’wayne. Are your parents coming to the open house tonight?

I doubt if my mom makes it sir. She works the night shift at the hospital and my dad left us years ago. I hear from him about once a year. I have to get my three brothers to get their homework done and heat up what mom left us for supper.

If you need any help just give me a call. You have my phone number.

Thanks Coach. You better get moving if you are going to make the open house yourself.

Fred was right. It was 6:30 already and the open house was to begin at 7:00.

Will got a quick shower at his apartment and just made it to his classroom as parents began to arrive at 7:00 on the dot.

The first to arrive was Mrs. Choy.

Good evening Mr. Caller. Sadup is my son and I want to know how he is doing so far. He is very smart and I expect only perfection from him. How are his grades in your class?

Ma’am, we have only had two days of class so none of the students have any formal grades yet. We have had a lot of discussions and he is doing very well. Does he have internet access at home?

Well, of course he has the internet. I don’t let him use it however until he is dome with his homework. Why does he not have homework in your class?

He does have homework but much of it is on the internet. My class is to prepare Sadup and the others for college work so we have a lot more research and not as much of the classic lecture. I expect all of my students to do well and I am sure Sadup will not disappoint me, or you.

I certainly hope not. Here is my business card, please call me if Sadup does anything the least inappropriate.

Thank you, ma’am, I will keep in touch. I see you have an e-mail address on here. Is that the best way to reach you?

Yes sir. I am looking forward to regular updates.

The next parent to show up was escorted by both of her beautiful daughters who were arguing as usual about something silly. It was Mrs. Smith mother of the twins. She was as attractive as the girls were, just a few years older.

Hello, Mrs. Smith. How are you this evening?

I am doing well. How are the girls doing?

They are learning to be nice to one another. Sometimes that seems to be the hardest lesson for them to remember. They have to call each other Miss Smith and it is driving them crazy but that is the rule in my class.

Are you trying to make ladies out of them? Good luck! Kaitlyn is the smart one and Kathy is the lazy one. That will never change. Just let me know if they give you any problems.

Yes ma’am, I will call you.

Will knew it would be a really bad day if he ever had to call their mom. She already appeared to be a bossy parent, the kind that could create problems. He had seen too many like her growing up in the military with military dads and their military brat children. He had been lucky since his dad was gone so much that he never had much time to interfere with Will’s teachers.

I doubt either one will do anything we cannot deal with here at the school but I will keep your number handy. Are there any issues I need to know about such as health problems? I haven’t seen any but I always like to ask, just in case.

No problems except Kathy’s hard head. I don’t know what to do with her sometimes.

Will wanted to tell the mom to chill out but this was not the time or the place, especially with Kathy right there.

She will do just fine. She is in with a pretty special group so I expect her to keep up.

She better!

The rest of the evening was typical until right at 8:30 when Shadrach’s parents came in the room.

Buenos noches, I mean good afternoon sir. My English is not very good, excuse me.

Buenos noches to your senor. Your English is much better than my Spanish.

I want to thank you for the laptop, Shadrach is very proud of it but he must return it. We cannot take a gift like that.

Mr. Martinez, it is not a gift. He has simply checked it out from the school like a library book. He will need it in my class.

It is not a gift?

No sir. He may keep it for the year but return it after school is out.

Thank you very much. We hope to stay here all year so Shadrach can graduate from this school. I am working now but I don’t know how long we can stay here. We cannot accept charity, it is not our way.

I understand, let me know if I can help you out. Shadrach has already made a couple of friends in my class and he is a special young man. Do you have a way I can call you if I need anything?

No senor, we have no phone but you can call my boss for now. He lets Shadrach use his internet and we use his phone in emergencies. We send most of what we make back to our families in Mexico.

I know this does not matter to the school but are you here legally?

Yes sir, we have papers.

I did not mean to offend you sir. I just needed to know, I would not have turned you in anyway but I think Shadrach can get some college scholarships since you are legal. He mentioned his sister and he is very proud of her. I think he can be just as successful.

I understand, Mr. Caller.

Call me Will, as in William. What is your name?

You may call me Jesus, his mother is Anna.

Nice to meet you both and I will certainly keep in touch.

The next couple of days went well and the class quickly progressed from primitive man to the earliest civilizations.

Miss Kraft, what are the requirements for civilization?

The first was a surplus of food. Why was that so important?

Class, why do you think this was so important?

I guess if you are starving to death you are not very worried about art and literature.

Correct Mr. Smith. What had to happen before early man had enough food to have a surplus?

Agriculture I presume.

Correct and where did all early civilizations develop?

Along rivers. Why was that so important?

Mr. Morton, why were rivers so important?

I guess they needed a steady supply of water for the crops. Did they have irrigation like modern farmers?

Yes they did. In fact in some places such as Egypt they still irrigate crops much like they did thousands of years ago. Mr. Quaterman, what else did they have to develop?

They had to have a form of government. How did that develop?

The guy with the biggest club made the rules I guess.

Correct again Mr. Salter. Early man based much of the decision-making on the strongest making everyone else behave.

As usual, Will directed the discussion and before they knew it the class was busy comparing the river civilizations of Egypt, Mesopotamia and China. They looked at the similarities and differences and Will just prodded them along and made sure everyone got involved in the discussion. No one was allowed to just sit back and do nothing.

Mr. Smith, which river civilization have you all forgotten about?

I can’t think of anything.

OK, class. Which nation on Earth has the highest population?

China.

Good. Now, which has the second highest population?

India.

Where are most people in India located? From whence does India get its name?

The Indus River I suppose.

Good, Mr. Upchurch.

India has two major rivers, the Indus and the Ganges. Both start in the Himalaya/Kush Mountains and flow into the Indian Ocean. So you have four early civilizations, all built along rivers. How can we relate this to modern times?

I guess most people live near water.

Very good, Mr. Daniels. Where are almost all major cities found today? Your assignment for tonight is to find as many cities of over one million people on Earth not located along a river or on the shore of a lake, ocean or sea. Have a good day.

It was finally Friday. Will had survived his first week as a teacher. Now he just had to survive his first night as a football coach.

The game began precisely at 8:00 and was a tough game from the opening kick. Neither team seemed to be able to do much against the other’s defense. Both head coaches knew each other so well that they were unable to surprise the other. Will’s jamming the offensive receivers was a surprise and even Coach Beard had to admit it was effective. Late in the fourth quarter Wilson was behind 6-0 on too long field goals by City High.

Coach Beard had confidence in his Quarterback and told Ben to find a way to score. Ben had a secret weapon that he convinced Coach Beard to go to. Carl Stevens was a sophomore who had been a running back but had never played much. Ben knew he could catch the ball since they had grown up together. Ben also knew he was faster than any of the City High defensive backs.

Coach, I need Carl in at wideout. I know we haven’t run him there in practice but I have known him since he was a baby. He is fast and he can catch the ball.

Stevens, get in there and run a short post route. Ben says you can fly, let’s see what you have.

I’m ready Coach.

OK, line give me 4 seconds so I can get the ball to Carl and he will do the rest. On three.

As soon as the ball was snapped Carl took off across the center of the field. Just as he broke open Ben put the ball right in his hands at full speed. Carl broke up field and ran across the goal line untouched with 5 seconds left in the game. The Wilson sidelines erupted and the City High sidelines stood there stunned for a minute.

As the two teams shook hands they formed a big circle at midfield and had a brief prayer. All of the players knew each other so there were no hard feelings, just respect for a good opponent.

Well Beard, I don’t know where that kid came from but he sure can run. You may have a special one there. Good luck the rest of the season. Where is the new kid? Will Caller?

Will, come here. Coach Butts wants to whip you!

It is an honor to meet you, Coach Butts. Coach Beard has bragged about you since I got here a month ago.

Nice to meet you too. I understand you coach the DB’s. That tactic of jamming us at the line was effective, keep it up. You have the Falcons next week and they throw the ball 50-60 times a game. They like to score a bunch of points but defense isn’t so important.

Thanks Coach. I will get my guys ready.

Will, nice to get a win in your first game.

It was Kim Dean, the Principal’s daughter and a math teacher. Will had noticed her in the faculty meetings but had not had much time to get to know her yet.

Thank you Miss Dean. I understand you coach girls soccer.

Yeah, I couldn’t say no to the opportunity. The girls only won two matches last year so I guess it won’t take too much to improve the record.

Don’t sell yourself short. I got asked to coach the boys and they haven’t won a match in two seasons. I guess we will both have our work cut out for us.

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