Quiet Wyatt

At School: Time to be Heard

The car ride to school was like Chinese water torture. Wyatt had never really been tortured but he heard about it and read about it before.

His dad blankly stared out the windshield as they both listened to the morning talk radio show. Wyatt's head spun its gears as he envisioned himself as a radio talk show host. Topics swarmed through his head like a team of busy bumblebees. He sensed that his dad was not in the mood to hear his voice so he held all he wanted to say inside. Wyatt didn't even notice that his dad had stopped and that he had already arrived at school.

Wyatt could tell that it was painful for his dad to muster up a weird smile and say, "Have a good day, son. Mom's picking you up today." Far too many words for his dad's normal cave man speech.

In fear that he would hear the words, "Quiet Wyatt", Wyatt simply waved and went inside the building and off to class.

Ms Bonita Brown was Wyatt's teacher. He had a weird love/ hate relationship for his teacher. She was nice and interesting but mean at the same time. She would let him talk and express his ideas, which he loved, but she also would abruptly cut him off.

At recess, the kids called Ms Brown Ms Bighead Brown because to them she was a meany and a know it all. But Wyatt appreciated Ms Brown, because in a strange way he knew she understood him.

In social studies, Ms Brown was teaching about Native Americans of North America. She asked a question, "If anthropologist say that human life started in Africa, how do you think people got to the Americas?"

Wyatt's arm lifted into the air like a rocket ship and his hands moved like a propeller on a B757. But Ms Brown ignored him and called on Veronica, not because she knew the answer but because she was drawing and coloring a heart in her notebook and doodling. Veronica looked flustered. She didn't respond, but she quickly put down her colored pencils and stared at Ms Brown begging for mercy with her eyes!

"Wyatt", Ms Brown said with a glimmer of happiness in her eyes as she anticipated Wyatt's answer.

"Well...", Wyatt sighed in relief, but just as he did the rest of the class groaned. Ms Brown threw darts at them with her eyes.

"I once saw on a show called Ancient Aliens that stated that the Americas were inhabited by natives because they walked from Asia..."

A few of the kids started to snicker.

"Scientists say that they walked following ice age animals...", Wyatt stated proudly.

"BE QUIET WYATT", Veronica rudely interrupted! "Look at the map," Veronica pointed to the world map on the wall, "they walked across the entire ocean", she sarcastically questioned.

At that moment the entire class busted into a roaring laughter. Ms Brown's face was like stone. She raised her hand and silenced dropped over the class.

Wyatt sunk in his desk.

"Continue Wyatt" she said nodding her head in a reassuring tone, but Wyatt felt that familiar sting.

He nervously tried to continue with all the stuff he learned watching this show, but in his head he heard the entire class shout, "QUIET WYATT!"

Wyatt felt the wind knocked out of him with Veronica's blow to his ego.

"Are you finished, Wyatt?"

Ms Brown noticed the hurt in Wyatt's eyes as he lowered his head and nodded.

"Thanks for your input, Wyatt. Now, class turn to page 40 in your textbook."

The class was filled with the murmur of obedient page turning. Wyatt felt heavy.

"Start reading at the subtitle, Land Bridge Theory, nice and loudly for the class... Veronica."

Shortly after Veronica started reading out loud, she began to feel warm around her neck. There was a shushed whisper while she read. Then Ms Brown asked her to stop and reread the last sentence.

"Wyatt was right!" Someone blurted out!
Ms Brown was holding back, but she had a smug look on her face as she looked at Veronica.

Wyatt sat up in his seat as he absorbed all the smiles and nods from his peers. Veronica didn't look at him.