See Me After Class(115)

I take off at a run to the office and fling the door open, startling Joanna, the receptionist.

“Arlo, are you okay?”

“Where’s Greer?” I look around frantically.

“Meeting with Nyema. They’re not to be disturbed.”

“Fuck,” I mutter and then go up to her desk. “Joanna, I need to talk to her.”

“Is it an emergency?”

“Uh . . .”

“If it’s not an emergency, then you’re going to have to wait.”

“Please, Joanna.”

“I’m sorry, Arlo. But you’re welcome to sit there and wait for her.”

I pull on my hair and stare down the hallway that leads to Nyema’s office. There’s no stopping it. She’s going to know. And all I can do is wait and apologize my ass off the minute she comes out of that office.

Anxiety climbs up my spine as I take a seat. My leg bounces beneath me, my teeth practically nibbling a hole in my lip, and I fidget as I wait . . .

And wait.

And wait.





Chapter Twenty-Six





GREER





“Greer, thank you for coming in on such short notice.”

“Not a problem.” I take a seat across from her and place my hands in my lap, trying not to sweat. After this, fun with Arlo. Packing with Arlo . . . living with Arlo.

“I was waiting to hear back from the school board. One of them was on vacation, so it took a little longer.”

I shift uncomfortably. “Oh, I didn’t know the evaluations are sent to the school board.”

“Forest Heights has its own set of rules, very different than other schools. We hold ourselves at a higher standard, and because of that, we have a multi-layered process.”

“Understandable. The prestige associated with working at one of the best public schools in the country is why I felt so grateful I got this job.”

“Yes. Before we start, I’d like to say, even though the volleyball team didn’t go to State, we still were very impressed with the quick improvement you and Miss Garcia made.”

Why does this feel like she’s trying to butter me up before throwing a dagger at my heart?

“Thank you. It’s been a pleasure working with the girls and Stella. I have confidence we’ll reach State next year.” Hoping there is a next year.

“Yes, well.” She places her hands on her desk and takes a deep breath. “As you’re aware, when evaluating our new teachers, we take everything into consideration. Comradery with the faculty, teaching techniques, syllabus, even the papers you grade. We like to make sure our teachers aren’t just goofing around in class, but providing a brilliant education.”

Oh God. I swallow hard. “Yes, I understand that.”

“You aren’t just evaluated by me and the board, but also by your peers.”

“Okay.” I nod.

She opens a file on her desk and glances over it. “Overall, your scores varied. Some good, one critical.”

“Oh. Well, I’d love to hear all the feedback. I’m always open to constructive criticism.”

“We’ll start with the good. It seems like your students are understanding the curriculum well. The papers we went over have been exceptional, your comments and feedback insightful, and very well-thought-out.”

“Thank you. I’ve loved working with the kids here. They’re bright and willing to learn—well, most of them.” I chuckle.

Nyema smiles. “There are always a few that push you to try harder to get through to them. But overall, we were pleased with their ability to retain the information. Comradery amongst co-workers is fair. Quite a few faculty members enjoy the fresh personality in the English department, but there were a few who thought that maybe you were coming on too strong and trying to cause a rift among teachers.”

“Oh, goodness, no. That’s not been my intention at all.”

Nyema holds up her hand. “I understand your eagerness to add value to teaching. Dressing up as a literary character was one of my favorite days of the school year so far.”

“Thank you.” Deep breaths. Let her speak. Don’t be so defensive, it’ll get you nowhere.

“But the way it came about rubbed some people the wrong way.”

“Yes, I don’t believe I handled that too well. I apologize, it won’t happen again.”

She nods and stares at her paper. She runs her hand over her forehead and studies what’s in front of her in detail.

My heart sinks.

This entire conversation feels like there’s a giant, life-changing but at the end of it.

“One teacher in particular has had an issue with your performance.”

My back grows stiff.

“I’m honestly surprised with the evaluation they turned in, but I value their honesty.”

Oh my God . . .

“They were quite vocal about the way you teach the material. Unorthodox methods that didn’t seem to settle well with the school board. Yes, the methods have proven to help the students understand the material, but the methods also don’t provide the students a chance to interpret the literature properly, but rather lean on alternative devices to drive home the details. Some of the examples that were brought up were use of movies and CliffsNotes.”