(Corey) I Just Want To Be Right By Your Side (Taylor) [22]

(Corey) I Just Want To Be Right By Your Side (Taylor)

“Hi Miss Lynn!”

I looked up from the papers on my desk to the doorway of the classroom.

“Hi Griffin, you’re early. Where’s your mom?”

“Oh she had to work tonight so she let my dad come,” he said with a smile as he hopped up into the chair facing me on the left.

“Your Dad’s here for the conference?”

“I hope you don’t mind. I asked Scarlett if I could come.”

I looked from son to father who was now walking towards my desk.

“Of course not. You both would have been welcome. I try to get the parents as involved as possible in my classroom. It’s nice to finally meet you Mr. Taylor,” I said as I offered my hand and tried not to lose myself in his intensely blue eyes.

“Corey, please, and it’s Miss Lynn?”

“Yep, Miss Nicole Lynn, but Mrs. Olsen calls her Nici and she calls Mrs. Olsen Sadie.”

I laughed. “As you can tell there is nothing wrong with his listening skills or retention. He’s actually very observant.”

“Yeah,” he laughed a little and I felt my heart flutter a bit. Calm down, I told myself, you’re not a school girl to be having crushes on rock stars anymore. “Scarlett mentioned a couple letters that got sent home?”

I watch Griffin fidget in his chair.

“Well, he’s actually a very bright student. He just sometimes has a problem dealing with the other kids. A couple of the other boys were teasing him, I’m not sure about what but he settled it with his fists. Naturally, such behavior can be seen as a problem but I think we’ve worked that out right Griffin?”

“Right,” he said with a quick look at his dad.

“Griffin did you show your dad your art work in the hall?”

“Yeah, he really liked the aquarium I drew for my science report.”

I smiled at the pride I heard in his voice. “Why don’t you get your English folder and show him what you’re working on now?”

“Ok,” he said hopping up off the chair and walking to the back of the classroom where the bookcases containing the students work folders were.

“Is he really doing ok with the fighting?”

“I think so. Leslie, one of my female students told me the boys were teasing him about being a momma’s boy because he’s always with his mother. We talked about it and I let Scarlett know. We’ve been trying to work on other ways to handle his frustrations and boredom.”

“Frustrations and boredom?”

“Well as I mentioned he’s a very bright student. He actually could be bumped at least one grade ahead but Scarlett wanted to keep him with kids his own age to make the social side easier for him,” I said and nodded at Corey as Griffin came back with his folder.

“This is what I’m working on now Dad,” he said pulling out his book report notes and the poem he had finished on Friday. “The poem I finished in class on Friday but I’m still reading the book.”

“And when is the report due?”

“In two weeks. I’m almost finished with it. I just have two more chapters and you were right Miss Lynn it is a good book.”

“I liked it when I read it and I thought given the topics you’ve chosen before you might like it.” I saw Corey scanning the page of notes and his eyes widen.