PHYLICIA
My morning started off normal.
I took attendance, then walked over to the light, flipped it on, and closed the classroom door behind me. Routine settles me. Structure keeps everything where it belongs.
"Kevin," I said, looking up from my roster. "You're up."
He stood slowly, shuffling his note cards.
"I prepared... uh, more like..."
I raised an eyebrow.
"More like, or prepared? Don't waste our time, Kevin."
He straightened a little.
"I decided to do my presentation on how music is connected to literature and how it has been since the beginning of time."
I nodded once.
"Very well. Go ahead."
He was doing fine.
Until he wasn't.
I saw David lean over and whisper something. Kevin's shoulders stiffened. His chair scraped loudly against the floor.
Then he swung.
The room erupted as the two of them crashed into each other, fists flying, desks shifting.
"HEY! Stop! Both of you! now!"
I moved between them, pulling Kevin back while another student grabbed David.
"To the principal's office gentlemen Now."
They left, breathing hard, anger still rolling off them.
I stood there for a moment, heart pounding.
I was taken back. I never had this happen in all of her years of working at Carter high.
I had never had a fight break out in my classroom.
I straightened my blazer, steadied my voice, and turned back to the class.
"Open your books."
And I continued teaching as if nothing had happened.
Because that's what professionals do.
But when the bell rang and first period emptied, I sat down at my desk and let out a long, slow breath.
Today was already trying me.
I got up and went to the principal's office to talk to Dr. Hayes; however, he was in a meeting with Kevin's mother. So I had no choice but to talk to my nemesis, Vice Principal Janet Hubert. The older woman has had it out for me since I first started teaching at Carter High, and she's also the woman who had an affair with my ex-husband, so we are definitely not on good terms. But I have to tolerate her because of my job.
I knocked once and stood in her doorway without fully stepping inside.
"I want to talk to you about David."
She didn't look up right away.
"Go ahead."
"It's a gifted class. This is hard for him. Everyone in that room doesn't look like him."
I took a breath, choosing my words carefully.
"In his other classes, he's surrounded by students who look like him. In mine, he's the only one."
"Kevin is Black," she said flatly.
I held her gaze.
"He's the only one that looks like him. Surely you don't want me to diagram colorism, Vice Principal Hubert."
