The Amish Teacher's Dilemma and Healing Their Amish Hearts

by Patricia Davids

  Eva remembered the oldest students working on their math or science assignments during the morning hours while the teacher listened to the small ones read. When the older students were finished with their work, they helped the younger children who needed assistance. In the Amish school she had attended, each scholar knew what was expected of them, and they did it without instructions. For many of the children it would be a big change from learning in a public school. They would all have to become accustomed to new routines. As would their teacher.

  “You can expect mothers to sit in on classes to see what their children are learning for the first few weeks,” Dinah said. “I’m sure you remember school outings.”

  She did but she hadn’t considered that she would have to plan them. There would be picnics and special trips to be arranged. Eva sighed heavily. She wasn’t sure she was up to the task. Becoming a teacher had seemed so easy when she was reading the want ad in her brother’s home.

  Dinah refilled everyone’s cup. “This year will be our first Amish school Christmas program. I know the children and the parents are excited about that.”

  The Christmas program! How could she have forgotten about planning a Christmas program? There would be songs and poems to be practiced. Somehow, she would have to come up with a play for the children to perform. She grasped Dinah’s arm. “How do I find Christmas plays and poems for the kinder?”

  Dinah patted her hand. “Not to worry. I will give you the address for The Bulletin Board. It’s a newsletter put out by Amish teachers. You can ask any question and get a dozen sound answers from teachers with years of experience and some who have new ideas.”

  Gemma frowned slightly. “I wonder where my husband is. Jesse was going to pick me up this afternoon. Hope has a doctor’s appointment and Dale Kaufman was going to drive us into Caribou.”

  “Has she been sick?” Eva asked in concern.

  Gemma shook her head. “Nothing like that. She was born prematurely, and she is at risk for developmental delays. Our midwife insists that Hope’s pediatrician keep close tabs on her. So far she is hitting all her milestones, Gott be praised.”

  “Gott be praised indeed,” came a man’s deep voice from the sitting room. He stepped into the kitchen and dwarfed the little room. Eva had heard the expression a mountain of a man but she had never met one until now.

  Gemma got up from the table with Hope in her arms. “I thought you forgot us.”

  “Never. I was sidetracked for a few minutes by a little girl who wanted me to push her on the swings because her brothers were all busy and Bubble said I could do it.”

  Eva grinned. “Maddie is adorable. I wish I could be like her.”

  Bethany laughed. “Because she gets to say anything and blame it on her imaginary friend? I can see the appeal in that.”

  “Are you going to take a meal to the Gingrich clan again tonight?” Jesse asked with a rumble of humor in his deep voice.

  Eva shook her head, not the least bit surprised that Maddie had mentioned her gesture. “I may do some baking for them tomorrow. I was going to spread the word at the next prayer meeting that they need some ready-made meals.”

  The three women exchanged puzzled glances. Dinah drummed her fingers on the table. “We took the family meals for the first week after they arrived, but Willis insisted he didn’t need more help.”

  Eva could see him letting his pride get in the way of accepting help. “According to Maddie and Bubble he is a poor cook. Speaking of Bubble, what am I going to do with Maddie’s imaginary friend in the first grade?”

  “That you will have to decide for yourself,” Dinah said. “I’ve known of a few Amish children with imaginary friends but never one that brought his or her friend to school.”

  Outside a car horn honked. Jesse took the baby from his wife’s arms. The look in his eyes and his tender smile told Eva how much he loved his little girl. “We should get going. Dale hates to be kept waiting.”

  Dinah rose to her feet. “I should get going, too. My husband says my work would take half as long if I stopped talking. I hate to tell him it’s never going to happen.”

  Eva follow her guests outside. She waved as Jesse and Gemma were driven away in a yellow pickup by a middle-aged Englisch fellow wearing a red ball cap. Dinah helped Bethany into the buggy on the passenger side and closed the door then turned back to Eva. “As a teacher you will be in a unique position to judge the welfare of your scholars. Our bishop is a kind man. If you feel a child’s family may be in need, don’t hesitate to mention it to him.”

  It was another aspect of being a teacher that Eva hadn’t considered. She would be responsible for more than teaching the children to read and write and umpiring their softball games at recess. Could she do it all well enough or would Samuel send her packing?

  She hadn’t been in New Covenant for more than a few days, but she would be sad to leave the friends she had made if she failed to please the school board. She gazed across the road and saw Willis shoeing a small black-and-white horse. It looked like Maddie would finally get to ride her pony. Willis looked up, smiled and gave a brief nod of acknowledgment in her direction before turning his attention to his task once more.

  Of all the people she had met in New Covenant she suspected that Willis and his family would be the ones she would miss the most.

  Eva went back inside the house. Her footsteps echoed on the hardwood floors as she crossed to her desk and picked up her favorite story. She sat down to read. Halfway through the first chapter she closed the book and laid it aside. The house was too quiet.

  She crossed to the window that overlooked the street and opened it. She heard Willis calling his siblings in for supper. Harley and Otto were in a good-natured shoving match on the way to the door. Maddie walked behind, scolding them loudly as they ignored her. Willis admonished them to hurry. When they were all inside he shut the door, cutting off the sounds of his active family.

  Eva slowly closed the window. She wouldn’t get a cat to keep her company. Cats were much too quiet.

  Chapter Four

  The following morning was cool with a drizzling rain that dampened Eva’s spirits. A restless night had weakened her resolve and left her wondering if she had made the right decision coming to Maine. Would she be able to provide the guidance and education the community expected her to deliver to their children? What if she wasn’t suited to the job? What then? As Samuel had pointed out, her employment was only guaranteed for one month at a time.

  Would that be enough time to learn all she needed to know?

  If she lost the position, she would have to ask her brother Gene for the funds to return. She didn’t want to go home with her tail tucked between her legs and admit her new adventure had turned out to be a folly just as her brother had predicted.

  She had finished her second cup of coffee when a two-wheeled cart piled high with her promised furniture arrived. The driver hopped down with ease. His passenger, a large yellow lab-mixed-breed dog remained seated but watched her master’s every move. A gangly youth sat on the tailgate.

  The driver tipped his head toward Eva. “Good morning. I’m Michael Shetler. You met my wife, Bethany, yesterday.”

  “I did. And your new baby.”

  Michael’s grin almost split his face. “Eli! He’s a mighty fine little fellow except for his insistence on getting fed at any hour of the day or night.” He gestured toward the back of the cart. “This is Bethany’s brother Ivan, and the dog is our Sadie. She’ll be at school most days because Bethany’s little sister Jenny will be one of your scholars. The two are seldom apart.”

  “It’s nice to meet you, Ivan. And you, Sadie.” The dog barked once.

  “That means hello,” Ivan said, hopping off the wagon bed. “Where do you want this stuff?”

  “I’ll show you.” She held open the door as they carried in a sideboard and had them place it in t
he sitting room against the wall across from the windows.

  The door opened and Willis came in carrying a trunk on his shoulder. “Where?”

  Her spirits rose at the sight of his smiling, soot-smudged face. She didn’t stop to consider why he had such an effect on her. “At the foot of the bed. Danki, Willis.”

  She heard barking outside and saw Maddie playing tag with Sadie on the lawn. Willis stopped beside Eva. She grinned at him over her shoulder. “It appears Maddie has a new friend. Bubble may be jealous.”

  Willis stepped up beside her. “Nope, Sadie is an old friend. The dog was the first to visit us when we arrived.”

  Michael walked past them. “She likes to keep an eye on her flock. She might look like a lab, but she has shepherd in her somewhere. She visits all the children in the area at least once a day. Where do you want the bookcase?”

  “A bookcase, how wonderful! Now I can get my books out of my suitcase. In the sitting room, please.” Eva rushed into her bedroom and pulled a suitcase out from beneath her bed. Willis saw her struggling with it and came to help.

  His eyes widened when he picked it up. “What’s in here? Rocks?”

  “A few of my books. The ones I didn’t want to be without.”

  “Books about what?” He set it on the floor in front of the bookcase.

  Eva unzipped the case, opened the lid and sank to the floor beside it. “About everything. My favorite books of poetry.” She clutched several thin volumes to her chest. “The devotionals I enjoy, some adventure stories, even a cookbook. You’re welcome to look through them if you want. You and the boys might enjoy reading some of them.”

  Willis held up one hand. “Another time.”

  “Where do you want the end table?” Ivan asked.

  “Beside my rocker. This is very goot furniture. I assume it stays with the house for the next teacher?”

  “I reckon so,” Michael said. “The horse and cart are yours to use for as long as you need. You will want to invest in a closed buggy before winter or make sure you have someone who can transport you to church and such when the weather gets bad. One of our newly arrived families, the Fishers, are wheelwrights and buggy makers. I’m sure they can fix you up with a small buggy at a reasonable price.”

  “You’re welcome to use my closed buggy if the weather turns bad before you can get your own,” Willis said.

  She was touched by his kindness and the generosity of all the people she had met in New Covenant. “I will take you up on that offer if I’m still here when winter arrives.”

  Willis frowned as he helped her to her feet. “I thought you were staying for the entire school year.”

  “I hope I will be but Samuel Yoder made certain I understand I am working on a month-to-month basis. You should see the amount of paperwork he left me.” They all walked out onto the porch.

  “Don’t let old sour face fool you,” Ivan said. “He’s happy to have an Amish teacher here. He has two grandsons who will be attending your school.”

  “I pray that sentiment continues. I appreciate the loan of the horse and cart.”

  Michael walked to the horse’s head and rubbed the white blaze on his brown nose. “I brought hay and grain for him. His name is Dodger. Where shall I put him?”

  “Stable him at my place for now,” Willis said.

  “The church plans to hold a frolic next month and put up a barn and corral for you,” Michael added.

  It was news to Eva but it made sense. Most of her students would walk to school but some would need to come by buggy or ride horseback. In the winter those in outlying areas would arrive in horse-drawn sleighs. The school would need a place to stable those horses.

  She had been involved in many of the working parties the Amish called frolics. When work needed to be done, the entire community would set aside a day to raise a barn, repair a home or harvest a crop for someone in the hospital. Everyone from the youngest to the oldest looked forward to the event and everyone helped.

  After the men left Eva put out her books and then returned to her paperwork and lesson plans. She had a lot to learn before school started.

  After two hours she decided against spending the day inside even with the drizzle. She took a cup of tea out on the porch and saw Maddie with Willis through the open door of his smithy. Without considering why, she grabbed a gray shawl and swung it over her shoulders then crossed the road to see what the pair was up to. The little girl was sitting on a stool, watching Willis pump the bellows to heat his forge.

  “Maddie, you look so glum. What’s the matter?” Eva asked.

  “I can’t tell you anything that Bubble says anymore.”

  “And,” Willis prompted.

  “I can’t make up things for Bubble to say.”

  “That severely limits your conversation, doesn’t it?” Eva winked at Willis. He shook his head as if wondering which side she was on.

  Maddie leaned closer to Eva. “Bubble isn’t happy.”

  Eva fought back a smile.

  Willis kept his focus on his forge but glanced up at her briefly. “Did you get settled in?”

  “For the most part. I should be working but I have decided to play hooky for the rest of the day. I can’t look at one more lesson plan. May I try working the bellows?”

  “By all means.” He stepped aside.

  She took over pumping a large wooden arm that worked the bellows. A few ashes floated onto her face and she brushed them away.

  He glanced her way. “You’ll have to pump faster. I’m losing the heat.”

  She picked up the pace. It wasn’t as easy or as much fun as it had looked. The heat from the forge soon had her sweating. She cast aside her shawl. Willis turned a block of iron in the coals with a pair of long tongs. “When do you know you have it hot enough?” she asked.

  “By the color. Iron glows red, then orange, yellow, and finally white when it’s heated hot enough. A bright yellow-orange color indicates the best forging heat.”

  “Isn’t it yellow-orange enough yet?” Her arms were getting tired.

  “Almost.”

  She kept pumping until her arms were burning. “That’s enough,” he said.

  Grateful to step aside, she let him take over. No wonder he had such muscular arms. “Now what?”

  “Now I beat on the iron until I make something.”

  “What are you making?”

  “A brake pedal for a buggy.” He lifted the hot metal from the forge and placed it on an anvil. She watched him mold the metal into the shape he wanted by pounding on it. When it grew too cool it went back into the coals. In a surprisingly short amount of time, he had a new brake pedal ready to be attached.

  “That is amazing. How did you learn to be a blacksmith? Was your father one?”

  “Papa made furniture,” Maddie said.

  “Our onkel had a smithy near our farm in Maryland. He taught me the trade.”

  She tipped her head, glad for the chance to learn more about Willis and his family. “What made you move all the way up here?”

  “The same reasons a lot of Amish folks are here. Farmland is cheaper than back home. Plus, I got tired of the Englisch tourists that came to gawk at us Amish. I wanted to practice my faith and my trade without feeling like I was a circus act.”

  “I know what you mean. I have this wonderful book that talks about how we strive to live apart from the world but by simply being Amish we are being drawn into that world more every year. Have you read it? I can loan you my copy.”

  He started pumping the bellows again. “I don’t have time to read.”

  Eva swallowed her disappointment. “I understand. I reckon I’ve played hooky long enough. Thanks for letting me help in my limited way.”

  His mouth lifted in a brief grin. “You did okay. If you get tired of teaching, come look me up. I could use an appr
entice.”

  She rubbed her aching forearms. “I don’t think this is the trade for me.”

  “Can I help you at the school, Teacher?” Maddie asked.

  “I would like that if your brother doesn’t object.”

  “She is all yours. Remember what we talked about, Maddie.” He leveled a stern glance at her.

  “I remember.” Maddie hopped off her chair and took hold of Eva’s hand.

  Willis met Eva’s gaze and grinned. She marveled again at what beautiful eyes he had. She knew dozens of men but none intrigued her the way Willis Gingrich did. He was easy to talk to. She wasn’t sure why she felt so comfortable around him. Maybe it was because she’d never had a friend who was a man before. “Maddie and I will be in the school if you need us.”

  He gestured toward several iron bars waiting to be made into something else. “I’ll come get her when I’m done here.”

  “Don’t hurry. Maddie and I will have fun. Oh, and before I forget, you need to fill out enrollment forms for the children. I’ll need them before the end of the week.”

  His easy smile vanished. “Can’t you take care of it?”

  “I don’t know their history or where they went to school before they came here. I’ll need those records, too.”

  His frown deepened. He began pumping the bellows again. “I’ll send Harley over to get the papers as soon as he gets back.”

  “Danki.”

  He didn’t respond so she left and crossed the road with Maddie beside her, wondering if she had somehow upset Willis.

  At the steps of the school Maddie looked back. “Whew. Bubble sure had a hard time keeping her mouth shut today.”

  Eva tried not to laugh but couldn’t help it. “Why don’t I read a story to you. That way Bubble doesn’t have to talk and neither do you.”