The Amish Teacher's Dilemma and Healing Their Amish Hearts

by Patricia Davids

  “I think you were the only applicant.”

  She laughed and clasped a hand over her heart. “You have returned my ego to its normal size. How can I ever thank you?”

  He smiled along with her. “We are blessed to have you.”

  She leaned toward him slightly. “We will have to wait until we have Bubble’s assessment of my teaching skills before jumping to any conclusions. Guten nacht, Willis Gingrich.”

  “Good night, Teacher.”

  She walked away into the darkness. He watched until he saw her enter her house across the way. There was something attractive about Eva Coblentz that had nothing to do with her face or her figure. She was the first woman in a long time who made him want to smile.

  He went back inside the house. The children were still eating. He took his place at the head of the table, bowed his head for a silent prayer, then reached for a bread roll. It was still warm. He looked at Maddie. “What did you say to your teacher that made her bring food here tonight?”

  Maddie shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know.”

  “You must have said something.” He took a bite of his roll.

  Maddie had a whispered conversation with the empty chair next to her. She looked up and grinned at him. “Bubble says that she told teacher you need a wife who is a good cook.”

  He started coughing. Otto pounded on his back while Harley rushed to give him a glass of water. When he could catch his breath, Willis stared at Maddie in shock. “Eva thinks I’m looking for a wife?”

  Maddie nodded.

  Willis hung his head. Nothing could be further from the truth. There was no way he could keep his secret from a wife. Even if he found the courage to reveal his handicap to a woman again, there was still one pressing reason he had to remain single.

  Amish ministers and bishops were chosen by lot from the married men of the congregation. At baptism every Amish fellow vowed to accept the responsibility of becoming a minister of the faith if he should be chosen. What kind of preacher would he make if he couldn’t read the Word of God? The humiliation didn’t bear thinking about. He would remain a single fellow his entire life. That was God’s plan for him.

  He turned his attention back to Maddie. “You were wrong to tell your teacher that I’m looking for a wife. I’m not. Now what am I supposed to do?”

  Maddie lifted both hands. “Just tell her you don’t want a wife. How hard can that be?”

  Chapter Three

  Early the next morning Willis hurried to get the cabinet pulls installed on Eva’s desk and on the cupboards in the school. He glanced constantly toward the door, hoping she wouldn’t show up until after he was gone. He had no idea how he was going to face her. He tried to convince himself that it had simply been kindness that brought her over with a delicious supper last night and not because Maddie had said he was looking for a wife.

  Maybe he shouldn’t even mention it except to thank her for the food. If he kept quiet, was he encouraging her or discouraging her? How could a six-year-old get him into hot water with her teacher in less than twenty-four hours?

  He needed to make Eva understand that he wasn’t interested in marrying without hurting her feelings or embarrassing her. She wasn’t a giddy teenage girl. She seemed to be a mature and sensible woman. He would remember that and not beat around the bush with her. Maybe. Unless his courage failed him. These days it seemed in short supply.

  He was fastening the final coat hooks in the cloakroom when he heard the outside door open. Maybe if he waited quietly she would go away without realizing he was in the building. So much for his courage.

  He closed his eyes and listened for her footsteps. He heard her cross the room and open the drawers of her desk one by one. After a few minutes he heard her crossing the room again. Was she leaving? He held his breath.

  “There you are. Goot morning, Willis. I didn’t think you were about.”

  He opened his eyes. She was smiling at him from the doorway of the cloakroom. His heart sank. His courage had deserted him for certain. He couldn’t meet her gaze. “I’m almost finished here. I’ll get out of your way as soon as I can.”

  “You’re not in my way.”

  He concentrated on installing the next hook. Only three more to go. “I know you must have work to do. Don’t let me keep you from it.” How did a man broach the subject of not looking for a wife like a rational adult?

  “Is something wrong?”

  “Nee.” He pulled another screw from the large front pocket of his leather apron but fumbled the thing. It dropped and rolled across the floor to her feet.

  She picked it up and held it out in her hand. “Maybe it’s just my imagination but you seem upset.”

  “Nope.” He snatched the screw from her palm. “Danki.”

  “Well, then, I’ll let you finish so you can get home to your family. Please tell Maddie that I said hello.”

  He turned to face Eva. “I’m not looking for a wife.”

  Her eyebrows rose. She tipped her head slightly. “Okay.”

  “I know Maddie led you to believe that I am, but I’m not.” His neck felt as hot as his forge.

  “What makes you think Maddie gave me that impression?”

  “You know. The supper you brought over.” He rubbed his damp palms on the sides of his apron.

  Her eyebrows drew together, creating a tiny crease between them. “I’m sorry, I still don’t understand.”

  “Maddie told you I was looking for a wife who was a good cook.”

  Her eyes widened. “Oh, and you think I brought you supper to prove I had the culinary skills you are looking for? Sort of an audition for the position?” She covered her face with both hands and burst out laughing.

  It dawned on Willis that he had made a huge mistake. He waited until she got a hold of herself. “This is the part where you tell me Maddie never mentioned I was looking for a wife who was a good cook, right?”

  She broke into peals of laughter again but managed to shake her head. It wasn’t the first time in his life that he felt like a fool, but it was the first time he felt like laughing about it. He chuckled. “You are a pretty good cook.”

  That set her off again and he was soon laughing with her. She wiped tears from her eyes. “I can see how it must have looked but I’m not angling for a husband with chicken and dumplings as bait,” she choked out.

  “Your rolls were fine, but the dumplings were gummy.”

  “They were not. I dare you to make better ones.” Her mirth subsided. “You poor fellow. Has this been on your mind all night?”

  “You have no idea. I barely got any sleep trying to figure out how to let you down easily. I’m going to have to have a serious talk with Maddie.”

  “She did tell me that you were a terrible cook and that Bubble believes you need a wife. I honestly made a batch of dumplings that was too large. I thought you and the kinder might enjoy them.”

  “The children all but licked their plates.”

  “I’m glad. Willis, I don’t intend to marry so rest easy. I may be an old maid all my days, but I intend to put the years Gott grants me to good use.”

  He had a hard time believing she considered herself an old maid. He saw a mature, attractive woman who wasn’t afraid to speak her mind or laugh at herself. He admired that about her. Any man would.

  She folded her hands primly in front of her white apron. “In the future please don’t hesitate to tell me if Maddie has shared something you aren’t sure about. I shall do the same. That way we won’t need to tiptoe around each other. Agreed?” She held out her hand.

  He was more relieved than he could express. He took her hand. It fit as if it had been made for him to hold. “Agreed.”

  “One more thing. If you can quietly spread the word that I’m not interested in marriage I would appreciate it.”

  “If anyone asks, I
’ll let you know before I send them on their way. You might change your mind if the right fellow comes along.”

  * * *

  Eva’s fingers were swallowed inside Willis’s large, calloused hand. She didn’t mind the roughness of his skin. It was proof that he worked hard. She drew away reluctantly. “I appreciate the sentiment, but there is no need to check with me. I am excited to begin my career as a teacher and as you know, Amish teachers cannot be married women.”

  His nearness was doing funny things to her insides. He smelled of smoke and leather and something more that was uniquely him. She inhaled deeply and took a step back. “I do have work I need to get done. I’ve been going over the curriculum Samuel Yoder gave me. I have to say, seeing my duties laid out in black-and-white is daunting.”

  “Any new job is.”

  “You’re right. I remember how much I enjoyed school. I want all my students to have the same feeling of happiness at gaining knowledge that I had. Maddie said Otto hates school. I hope that isn’t the case.”

  Willis looked down. “Not everyone enjoys school.”

  His dry comment told her he was one of those. “You didn’t? Why not?”

  He still didn’t look at her. “It doesn’t matter. It was years ago. I’ve got work to do and so do you.”

  “You’re right. I won’t keep you from it any longer.” Eva left the coatroom wondering why a man as bright as Willis hadn’t enjoyed his school years. Maybe one day he would tell her but for now she had her own students to worry about. Willis left a short time later. The building felt oddly empty without him.

  She sat at her desk and pored over her notes and lesson plans for each grade. The school board was thorough. She opened the enrollment forms and began to memorize the names of the students in each grade. If she knew the name, she wouldn’t have trouble putting a face to it when school started. Looking through them she noticed she didn’t have enrollment forms for Maddie, Otto or Harley. She would remind Willis the next time she saw him. She considered dropping by his home again that evening but decided against it. She had to draw a line between friendly and too friendly. Evening visits to his home were definitely out. Samuel Yoder would frown on that for sure and certain, but there was no reason why she couldn’t stop by the smithy while he was working.

  A loud grumble from her stomach reminded her it was long past lunch. She slipped her paperwork into the desk drawer, stood, stretched with her hands pressed to the small of her back and then walked to the window. A middle-aged Amish matron and several younger women were all getting out of a buggy in front of Eva’s new house. Each of the young women had a baby in her arms. Eva rushed outside to meet them.

  The women began unloading boxes from the backseat of the buggy. “Can I give you a hand?” Eva called out as she approached.

  “Are you the new teacher?” the older woman asked.

  “I am. I’m Eva Coblentz.

  “Wunderbar. I’m Dinah Lapp. This is my daughter, Gemma Crump, and our neighbor, Bethany Shetler. Give her the kinder, girls, and let’s get this stuff inside.”

  Gemma Crump deposited her baby in Eva’s arms. “This is Hope.”

  The tiny girl with red hair gazed solemnly at Eva. “Hello, Hope.”

  Gemma turned away to pull a large box from the back of the buggy and carry it inside.

  Bethany stepped up to Eva. “This is my sohn, Eli.” She laid the babe in Eva’s free arm and began helping the other two women unpack the buggy and carry boxes inside.

  Eva smiled at the babies in her arms and chuckled. “Clearly, we are supposed to stay out of the way.” She began to sway back and forth to keep her new charges happy. For the first time in years she was struck by the notion that she had missed out on something special when marriage passed her by. Perhaps that was why God had chosen her to be a teacher—so she could have dozens of youngsters to enjoy and look after. It was a humbling thought.

  The sounds of running footsteps made her turn around. Maddie came rushing up to her. “What’s going on?”

  Eva nodded toward the house. “Some women have brought me gifts.”

  Maddie stared at the babies with wide eyes. “Do you get to keep them?”

  Eva laughed at her expression. “Nee, I’m holding Hope and Eli while their mothers are busy.”

  Maddie took a step closer. “Can I hold one? Bubble has always wanted a baby sister.”

  Dinah came out of the house and motioned to Eva with little sweeps of her hand. “Come on in. You need to tell us where everything goes. Hello, Maddie.”

  Eva mounted the step and handed Hope to her grandmother. Bethany was waiting inside to take Eli from her. Maddie came inside, too. With both hands free, Eva parked them on her hips and surveyed the room. More than a dozen boxes took up much of the small sitting room. “What is all this?”

  “When my husband, Leroy, told me you had accepted the job of becoming our teacher, we got together a few little things we thought you might need.”

  “A few little things?” The ad had mentioned a home would be provided. When she first opened the door and saw the kitchen appliances and a table with two chairs, she thought she would have to provide the rest. There was a bed and a rocking chair for the bedroom and a desk in the sitting room but nothing for the second bedroom.

  “The men are bringing over the larger furnishings on our wagon tomorrow,” Gemma said.

  Dinah handed the baby to Gemma and opened the first box. “Kitchen towels and dishcloths.”

  “This is very kind.” Eva was overwhelmed.

  “We are thrilled to be able to start our own school,” Dinah said. “The public school has been very accommodating to our students but as the bishop says, ‘Raise up a child in the way that they should go and they will not vary from it,’ and that means educating our kinder without undue influence from the outside. Okay, next box. Flatware, knives, canning jars and cooking utensils.” Dinah looked at her expectantly.

  “In the kitchen.” Eva led the way.

  Soon they were all unpacking boxes. The two infants were nestled together inside one of the larger boxes so their mothers would have free hands. Maddie knelt on the floor beside them, talking to Bubble and the babies nonstop. In less than an hour’s time Eva had sheets and towels stored in her linen closet, a full set of dishes, a teapot and a coffeepot along with a pantry full of preserved fruits and vegetables and three new kapps in the style the New Covenant women wore. She would wear her old congregation’s style kapp until she had been accepted into Bishop Schultz’s church, but it was heartening to see they believed she would remain among them.

  When everything was put away, Eva used her new kettle to heat water for tea.

  The box she was most excited about was the one containing school supplies. “Maddie, come see this.”

  Eva lifted out pencils and rulers, colored chalk, paints and plenty of wide-ruled notebooks for the children to write in.

  “Is this for me?” Maddie asked.

  “For you and all the school children,” Dinah said.

  Maddie picked up a box of crayons. “Bubble is really glad she gets to go to school. It’s going to be so much fun.” She put the box on the table and patted it. “I’m going to go tell Otto that this school is a lot better than his old one.” She charged out the door.

  Eva glanced at all the women. “Danki. I’m very grateful and so will my students be when class starts.”

  “We weren’t sure what you would need,” Bethany said, picking up her baby who was beginning to fuss.

  “Sadly, I’m not sure what I need. I’ve never taught school before. From my own school days I remember the teacher wrote out the date and the arithmetic assignments for each of the classes on the blackboard first thing in the morning. After that she chose a passage to read from the Old or the New Testament. Following the reading, we stood up, clasped our hands together and repeated the Lord’s Pra
yer in unison.”

  Formal religion was not taught in school. That was the responsibility of the parents and the church community.

  Gemma chuckled. “That’s what we did, too. After the prayer we scholars filed to the front of the room and lined up in our assigned places to sing.”

  Singing was an important part of the school day. It was all a cappella. No musical instruments were used in Amish schools or church services. “It was the same for me,” Bethany added.

  “I have a copy of Unpartheyisches Gesang-Buch.” The German songbook had been used in Amish schools for decades. “Will the bishop find that acceptable?”

  “It’s the school board that decides which books will be used. Hymns that are in common use will be fine. I used to allow the kinder to take turns choosing the hymns. Sometimes they would sing English songs and hymns. They sure enjoyed their time singing.” Dinah smiled at the memory.

  “You were a teacher?” Eva clasped her hands together. How wonderful to know there was someone she could turn to with her questions.

  Dinah nodded. “Only for five years and that was a very long time ago.”

  “That’s better than never. Where do I start?”

  “Find out what they know.” Dinah took a sip of tea from a white mug. “Parents in this community have made certain that their little ones understand a goot amount of English before the first grade because they were going to attend an Englisch school. That may not be the case for some of our new arrivals.”

  Amish children spoke Pennsylvania Dutch at home but school was where they learned English to communicate with non-Amish neighbors, merchants and customers. English and German reading and writing were both taught in school but only English was spoken there.

  “You will need a teacher’s helper,” Bethany said. “My little sister Jenny will be happy to take on the task.”

  Eva had often been a teacher’s helper. It had been her job to hand out readers to the three lowest grades and help any of the younger children with their schoolwork. Having such a position was the only preparation a young Amish woman normally had before becoming a teacher. It was the responsibility of the teacher to show her replacement what she needed to know for several months before letting her take over.