by Thomas Duffy
Due in large part to his savings, Finn was able to go to school at night while working part-time at his firm during the day. He began post graduate studies in education that included demonstrations of the importance of concealing all information regarding the opposite sex. At the conclusion of his training, he would be considered for a position in one of the male states to teach the subjects which were appealed to him most.
As the years passed, he finally concluded his graduate school education and was interviewed by a highly regarded principal named Edward Phillips. Finn was considered a candidate for one of the three top schools in the male states.
“Finn, it's a pleasure to meet you.”
“Thank you, Mr. Phillips.”
“I see your credentials in front of me and they are quite impressive.”
“Thank you. Coming from you that means quite a lot to me.”
“One thing concerns me, however, about the status of you as a candidate to teach in the male states.”
“What is that, sir?”
“You're a parent. A parent whose child will graduate college in less than twenty years. Do you plan on making teaching a less than twenty-year long career and then returning to meet your son?”
“Why do you ask?”
“Well, you won't be of retirement age in twenty years. What would you do to make ends meet when you were pushing fifty years of age if you would abandon teaching?”
“I wouldn't abandon teaching.”
“What about your son?”
“I don't know that my son, although I am proud of him, would be a concern. I've separated from his mother, officially, through a divorce.”
“I heard that from one of your professors.”
“Yes, and I'd rather his mother be the primary parent he meets.”
“What about you? Usually when a young man graduates college and learns of the opposite sex, he would like to know he has two parents to help understand the concept behind the separation.”
“What about gay families? If I came from a same sex marriage, then would you be asking me this question.”
“You don't, though, and the fact that you are leaving your wife and say that you would abandon your son has me quite concerned.”
“Why?”
“It's not something which I can base hiring you or not on, but one of the students in your courses informed me that you think you suffer from depression.”
“Don't we all suffer from some kind of dissatisfaction with the fact that life doesn't seem to work out the way we hope it should?”
“Fair enough. But, I'm hiring from one of the top schools in the country.”
“My grades more than explain my dedication to my field, do they not?”
“You're right. You are more than at the top of your class. You've excelled in every course you've taken and then some. I'd like to fly you to our school to test you out in a school setting for one day as a substitute teacher. If I like what I see, I'll hire you.”
“Thank you, sir.”
“Of course. The only reason this hiring process is so rigorous is because we want the best for our youth. We want our youth to be as intelligent as you. Perhaps a bit happier but as successful academically.”
“Understood.”
“You have to sign a contract.”
“A contract?”
“Of course. One stating that you will be charged criminally if there is any mention of the opposite sex to the students you take under your wing if you are to be hired. And during the training test days, you are also held to the same standards and we expect you to remain aware of the fact that you are not to mention anything of what you have experienced after college to the kids.”
“I've know this.”
“We just have to make certain. You know any leaks are punishable by death.”
“I am aware.”
“Thank you. We look forward to working with you.”
Chapter Twenty
At “Excellent Numbers” high school where Finn was flown in to, he was going to meet the students he would be assigned to teach, if hired. It was the beginning of the academic year for the high school freshmen he would find himself in charge of.
Mr. Lipton, the head of the Mathematics department walked Finn into the classroom of about twenty-five gifted male students with a genuine passion for numbers. All these students had reports of academic excellence in their files.
“This is Mr. Finn Parker,” Mr. Lipton announced to the classroom. He is our substitute teacher for today. As many of you know, Mr. Ross passed away last year and we're looking to fill the position Mr. Ross had been in for forty years. We'd like to partner the class with someone great. An educator who can shape the future of the students I see before me. Mr. Parker is smart and capable and I think he'd be a superb choice as your instructor this year. After today's class, I'd like to know if you agree with me.”
“Thank you for the introduction, Mr. Lipton. I am incredibly proud of my accomplishments. I am honored to be given consideration to lead some of the finest, most talented students this great country has to offer. Let's begin with some simple numerical equations, class, shall we?”
Finn engaged the students in a class lesson within five minutes and Mr. Lipton had no reason to not hire him. On the contrary, there was every reason to bring Finn on board. Mr. Lipton believed it was going to be the best hiring decision he had ever made.
Over the next few weeks, there was a genuine appreciation for the talent and wisdom Finn was demonstrating in the classroom. Finn started to feel like his students were like his own children and cherished the time he spent helping them learn. One day, a student came up to Finn in the cafeteria.
“Mr. Parker, I want to take the time to thank you,” the student whose name was Seth stated.
“Thank me for what?”
“You are making me believe in myself and what I take from your classroom every day is something that resembles magic.”
“What do you mean?”
“The exam you gave back today, well, I scored a perfect score. That's probably my first perfect score in two years.”
“I encourage my students to think and show all their work. That way it makes the formulas and problem solving all the more simple.”
“I don't think what you're teaching is easy, Mr. Parker, but you make things make sense. I like that.”
“Well thanks for the support, Seth. Here's to more perfect scores.”
“I won't let you down, Mr. Parker.”
“Looking forward to seeing your progress. Thanks again.”
As Finn walked the school's hallway, he started to wonder about his son, Leonardo. He knew that his chance to be a father was a thing of the past unless he could manage to teach until Leonardo was grown and re-enter the mixed adult workforce in a profession other than teaching. However, he understood the choice he had made however hard it was for him to have made it.
Finn soon knew his class of students extremely well, quickly memorizing their names and faces. There was one kid in his math class named Frank who was the fastest to complete his exams. Frank would race through exams within minutes with all correct answers. Finn believed Frank displayed this behavior in such a way that it made him seem like the kid in the class that other students aspired to be like. One kid named Theodore would race through exams as well but Frank would always handily beat him out and finish the tests first. Theodore occasionally sacrificed a few points on his exam to try to finish first. Finn decided to confront him on the matter.
“Theodore, can you stay after class today for a few minutes, please?”
“Why? Did I do something wrong, Mr. Parker?”
“Well if you stay after to talk to me, I'll let you know!”
As the class made their way out the door at the end of the period, Theodore came up to see Finn. Theodore was quite nervous and was lightly sweating when Finn informed him that there was nothing wrong.
“I just wanted to say that it's not a race, Theodore.”
“I see you trying to beat Frank and I think you rush through your work so you can finish your exam before he does.”
“How did you know that, sir?”
“I can tell. I have a sixth sense about these things. Let me tell you that you don't have to be as quick as Frank to be smarter than him. Slow yourself down. Work at your own pace. Everyone has their own rhythm. Find yours. You'll be more successful that way. Didn't you ever hear the expression, “Slow and steady wins the race.”
“No, Mr. Parker. I never heard that one before.”
“Well, it's true.”
“It is.”
“I'm not entirely sure but let's assume for your sake it is. You gotta bring the average up just a tad, A 94 doesn't get you the best job out of school. A 100 does. Remember that, OK?”
“Understood, Mr. Parker.”
“Great. So glad we had this talk.”
Theodore walked out of the classroom and turned the corner to his locker. Finn took out his grade book and saw Theodore had a 94 average which was one of the lowest in the class. Only one other student had a 93 and that kid was struggling with time management skills. Finn wanted to see his class succeed and hoped that Theodore would take the advice which he just offered him very seriously.
There were nights in which Finn couldn't sleep well. He would think about the fact that his students knew nothing about the separation of the sexes. These boys were innocent and sheltered from reality and this, above all else, made Finn angry. Finn knew, however, he had to make a living and in doing so, understood it was his choice to return to education. At this time, Finn didn't, for a second, regret his decision knowing his other alternative was to be stuck in a failed marriage waiting for his son to be educated. That was not the life Finn wanted for himself. Finn wanted to make a difference in people's lives. It just happened to be that he was going to be making that difference in young students' lives. He considered it his calling.
Chapter Twenty-One
Five years later, Finn had seen some of his students move on to some of the best colleges and professional careers imaginable. Finn hardly recalled his past life as a husband or professional in the mixed world's workforce. Finn though about Leonardo once in a while but, despite these fleeting emotions, found his chosen career path to be a soothing one with plenty of rewards. For each student he saw succeed, he felt great satisfaction and his colleagues rewarded him with plenty of accolades. At a teacher's convention in the state, several high school teachers gathered with Finn to learn of his successful teaching methods. Teachers asked why his success ratio was so high. Finn answered the question for them.
“Children or young adults need to be aware of the fact that the world that awaits them is hard. Financially, it is not easy, and these kids I teach tend to learn the first day of class that discipline is what makes a great student. A student cannot let his mind meander and start thinking of the mundane day-to-day activities that saturate life. My students are taught from day one to implement what they learn on a daily basis and to study, study, study.”
“All kids study. I mean what are the alternatives to studying for kids in today's generation?”
“Alternatives I've seen include trying to nurture friendships with other boys. While friendships as such are commendable, they don't shape the mind the correct way. Yes, friendships suggest a skill that is also quite important in the world they will meet after school: Communication. You can't have the information and use it successfully if you can't communicate. I won't argue with you there. On the other hand, however, what does one do if one does not possess the requisite mathematical mind? That child will suffer a life without the necessary finances to survive in the brutal world that awaits them.”
“You haven't answered the question to my satisfaction,” a fellow teacher stated.
“OK. You got me. I give them all candy bars when they get a question right. They love that.”
“Honestly?”
“Yes, fellow teachers, honestly. I do reward my students accordingly for their hard work. Their dedication is earned by rewards other than grades. But, the focus has to be on the grades to get the rewards.”
After Finn spoke, a group of teachers sat in a circle discussing successful methods of saturating the minds they taught with knowledge. Finn wasn't part of the group but overheard the instructors as he was getting coffee in the cafeteria the meeting was being held in. A few minutes into the discussion, Finn was ready to leave to return back to grading papers when he heard one of the teachers, Mr. George Mathis, say something in the circle.
“I have this student in my class who excels above all the others. This damn kid, Leonardo Parker, seems to have been born with all the answers. I gave him some equations the other day and he didn't even learn the whole process of simplifying them from me but somehow got all the right answers in a matter of minutes. I don't know where the hell this kid came from.”
Finn started to wonder if that was his son Mathis had been talking about. He sat down and listened as the group continued for another hour. When the hour was up, Finn approached Mathis.
“Do you have a preferred method of contact, Mr. Mathis?”
“Why do you ask?”
“I liked some of what you were saying in the group. I want to keep in touch with you. We can chat on messenger and share teaching methods.”
“Sure. Take this card,” Mathis said as he handed him his business card. Finn moved forward after shaking his hand thinking about the possibility of visiting Mathis to help him teach. Finn was wondering if he would get to see the student named Leonardo Parker that Mathis was talking about. He wanted to see if it was his son.
As Finn continued back to his home, he remembered the brief time he had known his parents and felt as if leaving them could have made them sad. Now that he thought of the possibility of seeing his own son, he felt concerned that he had hurt his parents by abandoning them. Finn started to cry as emotions built within him. He wiped tears away as he got home. He was determined to see where life would take him next.
Finn started to conceive a plan in his mind. One that had to be carefully thought out. He had to let time pass from his interaction with Mathis but not enough time that Leonardo, the student who was spoken of, would no longer be under the instruction of Mathis.
In between classes, Finn consulted the principal to see if it would be possible to send a letter to the parents he would miss dearly. On occasion, teachers would be given permission to write personal letters to family members who were in the mixed society. The school principal had Finn come back to his office after the students returned home for the day to discuss the matter at hand. When Finn returned and mentioned the idea of writing his parents, the principal began to suppress Finn's wishes.
“It's not a good idea. The only way letters sneak out of this school is if there are serious medical conditions that threaten the life of a family member. Could you imagine the chaos that would ensue if all the employees at this school wrote their families for no particular reason?”
“I've been here more than five years, sir. I have not written a single letter.”
“I am sure your parents can manage. They managed without you for the beginning and, perhaps, one day in another realm, they'll know you. You knew the repercussions of this job, did you not?”
“Yes but what realm do you speak of?”
“An afterlife, perhaps. I think you are a talented man who has given up his life for a good cause. Your progress is remarkable with these students. We can't let emotions get in the way of their future. And, remember, you can always leave your accumulated money to whoever you wanted to, whether it be here or in the mixed society.”
“Do you know my story?”
“Yes. I know what, or shall I see who, you have given up to be with us. We truly appreciate it and respect your sacrifices which is partially why you are our most decorated teacher.”
“Thanks for hearing me out. Have a good d
ay, sir.”
“You're welcome. Please keep your mind on the students and, I assure you, the rewards will be plentiful.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Finn sat in on an English class being conducted at the school he taught in. A play was being taught about two brothers that was being hailed as a great piece of writing by the teacher. In the play, the brothers were fighting for the same type of job and at the end, they both accepted each other as family despite the fact that they ended up with two completely different jobs. One paid a lot and one paid significantly less. The teacher touted that the story was “didactic.” Finn remembered when he read books and plays in his English classes and laughed to himself knowing that the themes of friendship and the need for money plagued literature taught to young male students. Finn knew the students didn't have a clue about what was to come after college graduation. He felt happy and sorry for them at the same time. Their innocence and integrity may have been preserved for the time being but, later on in life, would the students feel the anger Finn secretly held within himself?
Finn called Mr. Mathis the next day. Their conversation flowed well as they discussed getting together to share teaching methods and stories of student blunders and the like.
“I was curious to know what another teacher does when a student is clearly missing the bigger picture,” Finn said.
“And I'm curious to know how you get the scores on national exams like the ones your boys earn.”
“Well, I have a sick day which I want to use next week. Nobody from my school has to know that I'm visiting yours.”
“You're a legendary teacher, Mr. Parker. Somebody would undoubtedly mention you were here.”
“Maybe you're right. I think we shouldn't present me to the class as a teacher who is renowned but rather as a teacher who is learning from you, Mr. Mathis.”
“That's ridiculous.”
“It's the only way. My school wouldn't let me visit yours without a good reason. My reasons for visiting aren't really that good, are they?”
