Mrs. Tense hated Mondays! As she awoke to the smell of Maxwell Home, she realized---IT'S MONDAY!!! Mrs. Tense husband, Freddy, was a plumber. He got up early every morning. Freddy would cook Mrs. Tense or Carol (first name) and his breakfast. He usually fixed eggs, grits, sausage, and toast. Then, there was the coffee. Between the two of them, they drank a pot of coffee. Carol got up at 6:30 on week days. Freddy was always ready to leave by the time Carol got up, but he waited until 7:45 to give customers a chance to call him for a possible job.
Freddy would also check back at lunch and 3:00 to check their new fancy answering machine. Freddy paid a pretty penny for the fine machine, but it was worth it.
NOTE: THERE WERE NO CELL PHONES IN 1976
Mrs. Tense had to clock in at 7:45, so she left the house about 7:30. Her house was 10 minutes from school. Literally like clockwork, she punched in at 7:40 every day. The students came inside at the 8:05 bell. The 8:15 bell sounded the students were tardy. After roll check and the morning announcements, the students went to first period at 8:20.
Mrs. Tense first period class was Freshman English. Most of the year was spent on improving grammar. This class had a few challenges.
First, they were Freshman--enough said.
Next, it was early and many of the students were not fully awake.
Finally, there was a young man named, Bsocefiuos. Most of the students called him "Wichita" because he had moved to Smallville from Wichita in the sixth grade. Wichita was a piece of work. In his mind, he was the coolest student on campus, a teacher-out-smarter, and God's gift to women. The only problem with his self-concept was he had all three wrong. In reality, he was a skunk. Wichita was a problem student because of his disrespect of teachers. Finally, the only girls who though he was a gift were the crazy ones.
Monday, April 5, 1976
Mrs. Tense said aloud, "I HATE MONDAYS!"
As the first periods students stumbled into Mrs. Tense's class, the Class Clerk gave them an assignment. On cue, Wichita annoyed the first student he saw.
"Hey Patsy. Looking extra pretty today."
Patsy, the Class Clerk simply said, "Shut up, Wichita."
Wichita never seemed to get rattled. He was oblivious to the rotten reputation he had.
"Good morning, Mrs. Tense," Wichita said with an Eddie Haskel flair.
Mrs. Tense fired back, "We will see soon enough, Bsocefiuos."
After everyone was in their seats, Mrs. Tense gave instructions, "Claaaas, you will notice on the handout the clerk gave you that there are 3 writing prompts. You may choose only 1. How many class?"
Ninety percent of the class repeated, "ONE."
"Good. This will be a first draft only. When finished, bring your writing to me. Then go to the second assignment on the board."
Wichita couldn't help himself. "Mrs. Tense, if some of us feel good about our draft, may we share with the class?"
Mrs. Tense looked at Wichita for five seconds, then quietly responded. "Bsocefiuos, if your writing is decent, you can share it with the class."
As Wichita started to smile, Mrs. Tense added, "and to the President of the United States."
The students broke out in laughter. Wichita had no idea he was busted. He exclaimed, "Right On, Mrs. Tense."
Mrs. Tense thought to herself: I really hate Mondays!
The three prompts were:
* You are approached by a Senior to buy some weed. What do you do? Use dialogue.
* Your father allows you to choose the family vacation. Explain in detail the vacation you and your family take.
* If you were the school principal what changes would you make?
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