Ava's Big School Change

Chapter 4

Second period was about to get underway. The students came into my room and sat in their seats. They were a little confused when they saw me and wondered where there old teacher was.

"Your teacher decided to leave," I explained to the class. "Until then, I'll be your teacher for the remainder of the year. My name is..."

"HEY!" a teenage male otter snapped. "You don't look like a real teacher to us, yo! What are you, hot chick?!"

That's when he and the rest of his classmates burst with laughter.

I tried to continue to introduce myself. "M-m-my name is Ms..."

"MS. WHAT?!" the otter yelled. "Look, everybody! Our new teacher's name is Ms. What!"

Everyone laughed so hard that I was starting to feel incredibly embarrassed.

"YO, TEACH!" a teenage female beaver shouted. "You got a stutterin' issue? 'Cause it sound like you DO!"

The laughter kept going and going.

"Hey, teach, what are you, some eighteen-year-old college freshman or somethin'?" a teenage male tiger snarled. "You too young to be our teacher, hot butt!"

"I-I-I..." I tried get my words out, but I couldn't. I was being discomfited by a bunch of loudmouthed teenagers.

Then before I knew it, a few of the students took drugs and alcohol out of their backpacks.

"PARTY TIME!" the male otter exclaimed.

I couldn't believe my eyes. It was already chaotic. Students were drinking, music was playing on one of the students' phones, and I had no control of the class whatsoever.

I tried to calm everyone down. "STUDENTS, PLEASE RELAX! WE HAVE SOME THINGS WE NEED TO COVER THIS..."

"WE CAN'T HEAR YOU, YOU WIMP!" the male tiger interrupted. "And it's none of your beeswax, either, so go screw yourself, college freshman!"

"I AM NOT A COLLEGE FRESHMAN!" I cried out. "I'M TWENTY-FOUR AND AN ADULT!"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever, you butt chick!" the tiger snarled.

It was no use. I was already weary after ten minutes, so I fell asleep at my desk without being aware what was happening next.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!

I woke up, startled. I thought the students would settle down and realize that they were rude to me.

But I was wrong. It was worse that ever. Students were sharing drugs with each other, they were drunk, music with explicit language was playing, some of the girls with beer bottles were dancing on top of desks, paper airplanes and spit balls were everywhere...and an angry and frustrated Mrs. Gabber walked in with a radio and stomped toward me.

"Ms. O'Cyan!" she said, putting her hands to her hips. "Are you allowing your students to run amok in your room?!"

"Well...I...uh..."

"Ms. O'Cyan!" Mrs. Gabber cried. "It's almost lunchtime for you, and you haven't even covered any subjects yet?!"

I looked down at my phone to see the time...and I was in shock! I slept for almost two and a half hours without covering any lesson!

Mrs. Gabber was so mad that she turned to face the teens. "EVERYONE HALT!!!" 

The students froze.

"I am very disappointed in the way you all are acting!" Mrs. Gabber resumed. "You guys should know how to act by now! You guys are in high school, and we should not have to baby you! It's pathetic!"

RIIIIIIINNNNGGG!

The teenagers bolted out of the classroom without further instruction.

Mrs. Gabber turned back toward me.  "Ava O'Cyan, I'd like to have a word with you. Now." She pulled a chair from the floor and sat across from me.

I gulped and knew that I was in huge trouble.

"I took a call from one of the other teachers about what was going on in your classroom next door," Mrs. Gabber said. "She complained that she couldn't teach her class because of the racket."

"B-but it wasn't my fault! The kids acted out! They thought I was too young to be their teacher!" I tried to explain.

"Is that so?" said Mrs. Gabber. "And you didn't have the guts to do anything about it?" Then she pointed finger at me.

"YOU are the teacher," she continued. "YOU are in charge. YOU are in command. It's YOUR job to help your students."

"But...but...BUT..."

"No butts, Ava!" Mrs. Gabber said firmly. "That's something you'll need to understand."

"I didn't let the kids act up!" I cried. "They just happened to do it!"

Mrs. Gabber let out a sigh and told me, "Ms. O'Cyan, you're  teaching in a very tough community. A lot of these kids do not have the support they need to help them succeed. Some of their parents are in prison, and some of the kids live with their grandparents. But the grandparents are too tired to help out, so it's OUR job to help those students at school. Do you get what I'm saying?"

I tensely nodded my head.

"You should have your lunch now," said Mrs. Gabber. "You have half an hour until your students get back."

I grabbed my baloney and cheese sandwich out of my briefcase and began eating.

"How long have you been at this school, Mrs. Gabber?" I asked.

"I've been here for six years," Mrs. Gabber said. "I've spent four years as a history teacher before being promoted as the assistant principal."

"Wow," I said, "you must have been through a lot of this wildness to get to where you are now."

"Yes, I have," agreed Mrs. Gabber. "Again, this is a tough school we're dealing with in Pineapple Woods County."

"I-I just don't think I can survive here," I said. "Those kids are already driving me nuts."

"Don't say that," pleaded Mrs. Gabber. "You need to hang in there and hope for the best. We all need to."

I looked down at my sandwich and sighed. "It's just a lot of work to discipline kids."

"Yes, it is..." agreed Mrs. Gabber, "...especially when they get big and are almost adults, just like what you're dealing with now. You've got to let them know who's boss and what's expected from them. I know it's not easy, but you've gotta have the courage to do it. You've really got to."

I just proceeded with my lunch without speaking for the rest of the break.