OTM
Moving states was a lot, especially after going through a divorce and having to find a new job.
My life slightly fell apart, but luckily I had my friends to help me. One of my friends from college, Keke, saved my life and got me an interview at a private magnet high school. After one interview with the assistant principal, who was also Keke, I was hired.
I was going to be teaching Chemisty to the upperclassmen. I got the curriculum and they were learning stuff I learned in my freshman semester of college getting my chem degree. They would have me for lecture three times a week and then we would have a lab one a week. They got Fridays off which was different, but I wasn't complaining.
My favorite part about being at a new school was being able to decorate a new classroom.
About a week before the first day of school, they gave us a couple days to go into our classrooms and set up. I was beyond excited.
I walked into the school with construction paper, chalk, every type of marker you could imagine, and a fake skeleton. Fake skeletons were more of a biology thing but it made my classroom more interesting.
It was one of my first times being in the school so I was still in amazement when I walked in. The school was huge.
Unfortunately, my classroom nowhere near the entrance and the fake skeleton felt like it weighed more than a real one. As I was lugging the skeleton around, I heard a voice behind me. "Need some help?"
I stopped walking and looked behind me as I caught my breath. "Uh-"
"Sorry if I startled you. I'm Damnson, or Mr.Idris to the kids."
He was a tall darkskin man with a low cut and he looked pretty young. He had a British accent, which kind of made anything he said a bit funny.
"Hi, Onika Maraj." I turned and smiled as I introduced myself. "I would shake your hand but.." I looked down at my full hands.
"Let me help you, please." He carefully took the skelton out of my hand and I let him.
"Thanks." I continued making my way to my classroom with him at my side now.
He awkwardly cleared his throat after a moment of silence. "So what do you teach? Some type of science I'm guessing."
"Yeah, chemistry. How about you?"
"I'm one of the theater teachers and the soccer coach." He chuckled. "I know that's a random pair."
It definitely was. "A bit. I won't lie, I'm lost right now." I thought if I kept walking I would find my classroom, I was wrong.
"Oh!" He chuckled again. "All the science classrooms are just down here so it should be around here somewhere."
He pointed down a hallway and we turned down it. I told him my classroom number and we found it in no time.
I had a classroom, lab, and office all connected. I was lucky to be working at such a fancy and prestigious school, I basically had my dream classroom.
He set my skeleton down and wiped his hands on his pants. "Do you need any more help?"
My eyes lit up. "Well now that you mention it.." I had a bunch of heavy things I needed to bring in from my car.
I got him to bring everything in for me and he didn't let me carry a thing because I was a "lady." I had a feeling he wasn't just being friendly but I was going to take the free labor anyway.
After he left I started setting up my classroom. Decorating was fun to me, I put on some music and it was a great time.
I was at the whiteboard at the front of my room drawing my name in bubble letters and cute little beakers when there was a knock at my door. "Come in!"
