Ms Joy's Classroom

Erin eagerly slid into her desk chair and pulled out her notebook. She loved Ms Joy’s class. Ever since she was transferred to this small school, she felt loved and welcomed by Ms Joy. The classroom seemed to echo the care and attention that its teacher embodied: a low chalkboard with colorful chalks, lamps provided a softer alternative to the harsh florescent that had been turned off, potted plants and stuffed animals lined the shelves.

Ms Joy was Erin’s favorite classroom and teacher but her worst subject. Writing. She began the copy-work that was on the board, carefully carving out each letter with her pencil. It was painfully slow.

Erin never seemed to get a hold of writing, which was probably why her parents pulled her out of public school and placed her in a special school–so she could catch up to her peers. They told her that she was smart and only needed some help to get over some hurdles, but Erin could hear the half-hope in their voices.

In the past year, she had caught up three grade levels, but she still had another couple to go before she could rejoin her friends in the sixth grade.Were they her friends? They certainly didn’t hang out much since she transferred.

Suddenly she froze, memorized. There, peeking out from behind the computer on Ms Joy’s desk, was a small person. As the tiny person crept out from behind the computer monitor, Erin saw that it had two silvery wings–it was a fairy!

The fairy glanced around and looked at Ms Joy–who had pulled up a chair to help Kaila near the front of the classroom. Seeing that he wasn’t found out, the fairy grinned and flew down to the floor, where he started riffling through Hunter’s backpack. Erin stared as the tiny creature pulled gloves and hat onto the floor, then finding a Snickers bar started pulling open the wrapper.

After a few minutes of struggling with the wrapper, the fairy’s ears laid back on his head, Erin heard a small hiss as it spun to face Ms Joy standing there between the desks. Without a word, Ms Joy opened an old leather tome and faced it toward the fairy who seemed to be sucked into it.

The last Erin saw of the fairy was the panicked look on its face before Ms Joy snapped the book shut. “How’s your copying going Erin? You look like you’ve just started.”

Erin smiled up at Ms Joy, but she had something to say. There was something, but what was it? She could almost feel the though slide out of her grasp. There was a creature, no, a person. She saw something flying about–or was it crawling? She glanced around the room for a clue. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, except that she had barely started copying, and class was almost over.

“Why don’t you start copying here,” Ms Joy indicated Erin’s nearly blank notebook page.

“Yes Ms Joy.” Erin shook her head to clear it and started again on the copying as Ms Joy returned a book to the shelf.

When class ended, Erin stood up and walked toward the door, tripping over Hunter’s bag. He was always so messy, but something tugged at her mind even as she thought it. She ignored it and went to play outside.