Footlocker

At yesterday's faculty meeting we were asked to write Deans' Referrals for students out of uniform. Some of the most commonly seen infractions are jackets being worn, multicolored shoes and undershirts of different colors.

I was explaining the meeting and request to my first hour students, who are a pretty quiet group. "If you're wearing a shirt under your polo you need to be sure that it's plain white, ok? I've seen girls wearing those tanks with the lace at the top and bottom and those are ok as long as they are white." I try to be funny by asking a boy if he has any of those shirts, "It's ok if the white lace hangs out the bottom of your polo, we're told. So, that would be alright for you to do, ok, Jesse?"
He blurts out, "Foot Locker."
"What?"
"Huh?"
"Do you know a kid named Omar?"
"Um...yes he was in my night school class last year," I tell him. "Why?"
"He worked at Pizza Hut with me."
"Oh yea? How is he?"
"I don't know, I don't work there anymore."

Of course, that makes sense. Jesse can't find his sketchbook and asks for another handout to start over on the shaded face drawing. I give him one, he tells me he'll look for his sketchbook in his locker. After school he stops in the room to tell me he still can't find his sketchbook. "I know they took it because I made my cover real sick." Nobody steals sketchbooks. I tell him to check the other class cabinets. "No, I remember putting it in our cabinet, I'm telling you, they took it." I remember his cover and then it dawns on my that Jesse doesn't like tearing out his drawings so he turns in his whole sketchbook everytime an assignment is due. I file through the stack of things I need to grade and find his sketchbook. "Oh, Miss! Look at you! You made me look all over the place for that."
Sorry.
We talk a bit about the teacher that just dies. Jesse didn't know him, still he was moved by the somber mood of the school created by the loss of this man. "I hear he was real cool. Real good teacher, man. That sucks."