An Early Summer Exit

"Oh wow. That was a double fail."

Outside the classroom, a girl had fallen. At that moment, a teacher and two students happened to be walking by. The teacher showed concern. Dane entered my classroom and announced the above to the class once we learned why the girl fell. She tripped over a huge cockroach.

Eventually, Dane left. I have had this student in class a few times. None of these do I remember fondly. He was not on my roll sheets for today, so I thought I wouldn't have to deal with him. Unfortunately, he kept coming by to "visit".

The second time he turned up, he had cookies. He had snagged some from the office. He was giving them away, but no one wanted them even though he had them wrapped up in a paper towel. First Dane told me that he wasn't going to let me have any, but when no one else wanted his last one, he offered it to me. (I declined.)

When it appeared that he wasn't going to leave, I asked him where he was supposed to be. He told me that he was supposed to be where he was, and no room could keep him. So, I asked him on whose roll sheet he was listed. He was supposed to be in science class. I told him to go back there.

Most of the students (the ones who bothered to show up at all--it was the last day at the continuation high school) were wound up. It was that kind of day. Dane found someone else to bother, and I didn't see him again until the last period of the day.

I was in the office. Dane was talking to an administrator. The admin. said, "Most people would like to start summer vacation early." Dane replied that he didn't want to leave yet. The admin. didn't back down. Dane left the office only to return a second later.

The admin. had turned around. A couple of us in the office saw Dane return, and the admin. must have seen it in our eyes. She turned back around and then Dane left. For good. Or at least for the summer.

By the reactions of the various people in the office, I knew I was not alone in being glad that Dane had left campus.