A Teachers Principle

Chapter Nine

 A Teachers Principle: Chapter Nine

     “Alright everybody, I need your attention up here.” I clapped my hands together to draw the classes attention to the front. “What we're going to do for your week assignment is on the board.” All of their eyes shifted to the board behind me. “Cheesecake,” I stated. “I'm going to assign groups of three by drawing names out of a bowl. After the groups have been picked, I will then appoint a cheesecake to each group. Every single cheesecake will be different.”

      “What are we going to do when we're finished with them.” Stephanie asked.

      “Taste-test them, after I grade them of course.” Cheers bounced around the classroom. My gaze flickered across the students as they cheered. My eyes focused on one of the triplets, Nolan. He was quiet as usual, not a single peep coming from his mouth. His eyes were cast down, starring at the notebook on his desk. A black cord drifted from each of his ears; almost blending in with his hoodie. He was listening to his iPod.

      A little pang struck at my heart. He acted like he didn't even care. He never paid attention, or at least it never seemed like it.

      The noise level grew louder as my students started to get off task. It drew me away from watching Nolan. I clanked two bowls down onto my desk; one with all of the students names, the other with the different types of cheesecakes.

      They hushed as I reached into one of them, pulling out three separate pieces of paper. “Emma, Stephanie, and Corey, you will be in a group together.” I reached into the second bowl, only pulling out one slip this time. “Your group will be making an orange flavored cheesecake.” I continued that same pattern until there was only one slip of paper left in the bowl. “Nolan.” His head lifted at the sound of his name. He stared blankly at me. “Since you're the last one drawn, you will be working with me on a dark chocolate raspberry cheesecake.” He simply responded with a nod. I guess he really was listening even though he had his headphones in.

      “There are going to be three major portions about this assignment. Each person will do one portion. The first part is drawing out the cheesecake. The”

      “Wait, wait.” Another student, William, interrupted. “What do you mean draw out the cheesecake?”

      “Exactly as I said. I want you to draw a picture of the cheesecake. Full detail. I want a side view and a top view, almost as if you're looking down at it. For this it has to be very elaborate. I want great detail and time put into this, but make sure that the person who is doing portion three can handle it.”

      “What's portion three?”

      “Hold your horses, I'm not there yet.” The others laughed. “Portion two will actually consist of making the cheesecake.” I paused to hold out the anticipation. “And the third portion, is the decorating. This means drizzles, chocolate flowers, fresh fruit, nuts, frosting, whipped cream. All of that has to be placed neatly and in a decorative pattern. This is the hardest portion. Each portion will be graded separately. However, there is some heavy duty participation points in this. I want to see each individual participating and discussing in their group what they want their cheesecake to look and taste like. Are their any questions?”

      Silence greeted my ears. “Okay then, the recipes for each of your cheesecakes are on the side counter. Please be sure that you have grabbed the right one.” The students scrambled to find their recipes as I settled behind my desk. “Oh, and by the way, the groups you have now you'll have for the rest of the semester!” Groans filled the room as I straightened my papers, pens, and pencils so they were aligned neatly. Their annoyance almost made me smile.