Jean Harnett

Chapter 1: September

Jean Harnett patted her short butterscotch hair and chewed nervously at her lip as she gazed at the name on the door before her: ROBERT E. CRAMER, PRINCIPAL. She felt like a misbehaving child herself instead of a teacher reporting for her first job.

She raised her gloved fist and rapped sharply.

"Come in," a masculine voice called.

Jean jumped. Come on now, she told herself. He's just a teacher like you are. He won't bite.

She breathed deeply and turned the doorknob.

"Good morning," the unsmiling man behind the desk said. "May I help you?"

Jean glanced at his horn-rimmed glasses and his thinning hair. Surely, he wasn't as old as he looked.

"Y-yes, I'm Jean Harnett from Canton. I'm your new English teacher."

"Oh, yes, Miss Harnett," the principal said, rising, but still unsmiling. "Won't you have a chair?"

"Thank you." She settled on the hard wooden chair and felt the principal's eyes appraising her. How thankful she was that she'd worn the jacket dress in the shade of blue that matched her eyes so well! Mother had said that it would be a good choice.

"I've been expecting you, Miss Harnett," Mr. Cramer said as if he were reporting something more serious to her. "Mr. Adair said that you'd signed a contract and that we might be expecting you sometime today. Have you gotten a look at our school?"

"Only what I saw when I came down the corridor just now. I've seen the English room, of course, and Mr. Adair's office. I got to look at them when I interviewed for the job on Thursday."

"I'm sorry I missed you last week. I was conducting my physics class and couldn't get away."

"That's what Mr. Adair said. You're a part time principal as well as the full time science teacher, I understand. That must spread you out pretty thinly."

"It does. But I have the hours in education to meet the state qualifications for the position of principal, and I am saving the school some money by doing both jobs." He gave her what he obviously considered a crafty smile. "I'm not all that noble, or that much of a workaholic. I have an ulterior motive. This is my alma mater, you know."

"No, I didn't. I could have done the same thing, also, I expect. But I wanted to try my wings in a new town, so here I am," she said with a deep, but nervous breath. He wasn't doing a whole lot to put her at ease, and it was showing on her.

"That is commendable," he said in his best patronizing voice. "I hope that your career here at Woodstock is a good experience for you. I realize we have only a small facility. The elementary and high school are all in one building."

"Oh, that's the type of school I wanted to be associated with!" she said enthusiastically. Then, she hasted to correct her grammatical mistake. She was, after all, here to teach English.

Her speech should not be sloppy. "I mean, the type of school with which I wish to be associated. I come from a small town myself, and I would rather start my career in familiar surroundings."

"That's understandable. I think you'll like our little town, Miss Harnett."

"Oh, I'm sure I will!" she said with a bright smile.

"Have you spoken with Mr. Adair today?"

"No, I stopped by the superintendent's office, but his secretary said he was out."

Cramer pursed his lips slightly and then started talking in what seemed to be a well rehearsed speech. "Our high school has ninety-eight students and ten teachers. Until last week we had eleven teachers, but Mrs. Phillips quit for health reasons. She was our English teacher. As of now, our students are sitting in study hall, missing their regular grammar lessons.