David entered the classroom. He dropped the exams and notes onto the metal table at the front of the room and did a quick head count. Half of his twenty students were present, the other half no doubt using the cold weather or a weekend hangover as an excuse to skip class. Their loss, not his. Of the ten who dared show up this morning, only one had done well enough on the exam to earn an A. After that there was one B, one C, six Ds, and one F.
“Professor Schofield?” Amy, in her usual front row seat, raised her hand, but didn’t wait for David to recognize her. “Are we getting our exams back today?”
Leave it to the A student to ask the question with the obvious answer. David sat in the chair and clasped his hands behind his head. “Yes, Amy, you are getting your exams back today.” He nodded at the stack. “They’re right here.” He smiled at Amy, who lowered her hand without any hint of embarrassment. “You may all come up and get your exams. As per usual, they are arranged in alphabetical order.”
The students, well-versed in the procedure, formed an alphabetical line according to last names, and took their exams from the table. Only one of them did not open his blue exam booklet to look at his grade. Ted Brimfield crumpled his into a ball and threw it across the room, swishing it into the small metal trash can at the back of the room. He then slouched into his desk.
David lowered his hands to his lap. “Not happy, Mr. Brimfield?”
“Everything’s peachy, Professor Schofield.” The young man didn’t even try hiding the sarcasm. “Just peachy.” Ted slumped further into the seat and began drumming a pencil on a black spiral notebook.
“If you used that notebook to take notes more than you use it for drum practice you might actually pass a test or two in my class.” David crossed his arms, waiting for a snide reply. None came. Ted had shown promise at the beginning of the semester, but then it was as if he’d hit a wall. He stopped taking notes, started failing quizzes, and now he hadn’t passed the last two tests. Productive use of Mommy and Daddy’s money.
“If any of you wish to discuss your exam, you know my office hours.” David stood and picked up the top folder from the stack. He forced a smile. “Now class, let’s take a look at the exponential function today, shall we?” He picked up a piece of chalk from the chalkboard rail and drew a set of coordinate axes on the black board. “Allow me, in summary, to draw the functions we’ve covered so far this semester. First, we have the—”
The door opened and Teri Glazier poked her head into the classroom. “Excuse me, Professor Schofield.” She motioned for David to join her in the hall.
“Excuse me, class.” David followed Teri into the hall. As he closed the door, someone in the class whistled. He could take one guess as to who it was. “What is it, Teri?”
“Just got word we’re closing early today.”
“What?”
“Seems there’s a sizable snowstorm headed our way.”
“Snow? What snow?” Teri pointed to the window at the end of the hall. It was snowing, all right. “You’ve got to be kidding.” His classroom had an outside wall full of windows that overlooked the front lawn of the campus and he hadn’t even noticed what was brewing outside. “It’s snowing. It’s New England. And you’re serious. He’s actually calling it?”
“This,” Teri pointed at the window, “is just the beginning. It’s supposed to keep snowing for the next twelve to twenty-four hours and accumulate substantially, possibly up to a foot or more. Mr. Alexander is canceling all classes effective after this period.” David shook his head. “Hey, what can I say, chief?” Teri bit her lower lip and flashed a smile.
“You could say that it’d be nice if the current president of this fine institution grew a backbone. Does he know this is New England?” David shook his head again and looked in on the class through the wire-enforced window in the door. “A little snow and we’re canceling classes. This is the fifth time this semester.” David nodded toward the classroom. “How does he expect us to do our jobs and actually teach these kids? Next thing you know we’ll be canceling spring classes when it gets too warm.”
David opened the door to his class.
“Hey, chief.” He turned back to Teri. “Ease up a little, OK?” Out of sight of the students, Teri winked at David before striding down the hall. David watched her, wondered what to make of the wink, and entered his classroom.
Ted shook his head and whistled, his hands folded on the desk.
“You have a comment you’d like to share with the class, Mr. Brimfield?” David stood at the front of the room, rolling the piece of chalk in his hand.
“Yes, I do, but I’ll save it for later in the Student Commons area.” Ted grinned, then added, “No offense.”
David rolled the chalk in the palm of his hand, tossed it into the air, caught it, and started weaving his way to Ted’s desk. “Mr. Brimfield, I usually allow a certain degree of latitude in my classroom as far as proper decorum and etiquette are concerned, but there is a distinct line between what is acceptable and what is not. You, my friend, have flirted with that line on numerous occasions.”
David stood over Ted, tossing the chalk into the air, catching it, tossing it.
“Today, by the inference you made with your whistling, you have crossed that line. Be assured, this is the last time that will happen.” David stood over Ted for another moment before Ted looked up at him and turned his head toward the front of the class.
Smiling, David walked to the front of the room and turned to his students.
“Our esteemed president of this fine educational establishment has canceled classes due to impending inclement weather.” In unison, the students looked toward the bank of windows overlooking the expansive lawn that fronted the college. “Apparently, we have a rather significant snowstorm approaching. Technically, classes are to be dismissed after this period. I, however, see no reason to detain you any longer today.”
Sighs and smiles filled the classroom.
“When we next meet, I expect that you will have read the next section on exponential functions and have completed the appropriate exercises.”
Groans.
“All of them.”
Deeper groans.
David picked up the stack of folders, looked over his class, pasted a smile onto his face, said, “Have a fantastic day everyone,” and left the room.