A Terrible Beauty: What Teachers Know but Seldom Tell outside the Staff Room (28 page)

“‘Despite first quarter Oregon State Assessment test
scores up district wide more than ten percentage points from last
year.’”

He looked up. “You’d think they might mention it was
the first increase in ten years. ‘The district has been named in
over a dozen lawsuits brought by dissatisfied parents. In addition,
Silver Mountain has been the subject of an investigation by the
state and federal Departments of Education for non-compliance.’
Sure they’re after you—you committed one of the deadly sins—you
made them look unnecessary. They can forgive anything but that.

“‘The ousted superintendent’s policies, having
resulted in a poor showing by the district in sports, are unpopular
with many alumni and parents. One alumnus at Tuesday’s meeting said
ticket sales had fallen by half, and for the first time in twenty
years the basketball league championship was awarded to another
district. We had the talent to win, and there they were in the
stands instead of on the court where they belonged,” said Ray
Wagner, father of last year’s Elk River junior varsity center.
“What kind of school punishes kids by taking away sports just
because they’re not straight A students?”

“‘The year began with a threat by the Oregon
Education Association to strike when Gonsalvas reassigned more than
a hundred district employees to the classroom, reducing average
class size to less than 12. In order to implement these changes, a
radical rescheduling was put into effect, which included a
shortening of the school day for most students. This was instituted
without seeking waivers from the Oregon State Department of
Education. While some parents approved of her policies, many more
found the drastic changes unsettling.

“When asked to comment on her ouster, Gonsalvas said
the results of her tenure were there for all to see.

“This quarter,” said Gonsalvas, “violence is down 90
percent, test scores are up between eight and twelve, class size is
half of what it was. Schools are safe, kids are learning, sports
have been given the subservient role they deserve. Kids who stop
others from learning are sent home. Evidently, that wasn’t what the
board wanted.’”

He smiled up at her. “So that’s what you were
practicing this morning in the shower. “‘Replacing the relatively
inexperienced Gonsalvas with Lovejoy, a thirty-year district
veteran, will restore stability to the district,” said Linda Noble,
one board member who cast her vote for cancellation of the
superintendent’s contract.

“Experience,” said Noble, “makes all the difference
in a job like this. Irregardless of good intentions, Ms. Gonsalvas
set her policies without consulting the school board, and, though
her intentions may have been good, we feel she went way too far to
extremes.’”

He laughed. “Oh yeah, way too far. ‘When asked to
comment about her goals for Silver Mountain, Lovejoy said her
highest priority would be to return the district to compliance with
the law.

“Our parents,” Lovejoy said, “can be confident the
district will return to putting children first. Starting tomorrow
morning our schools will be back to normal. We’ll be back in
compliance by the end of the week, all expelled students will be
reinstated, and the district will resolve pending suits without
need for further litigation. Bla, bla, bla.”

More weary than he could say, he folded the paper
neatly and tossed it into the first can they passed. “Garbage.”

With no more to say, they headed back to the top.
Twilight had fallen, and with it a mist leaving the lights of the
city below hazy.

“Well, that’s it, isn’t it?”

She matched pace beside him, head down. “Yeah, guess
so.”

A pair of skaters rounded the corner, and they moved
off the path to let them pass.

“Well, at least you tried.”

She smiled, eyes bleak. “How long did you say I’d
last, two months? Pretty close.”

“I’m not happy about it, but you know what?” He
reached out, put his hand into her pocket to press hers. “You did
it, you fought them all, and I’m proud of you.”

She made a face as they topped the grade. “For what,
nine weeks?” He led her to the low wall, turning her to face the
city below, arms about her from behind. “You see that? You made a
change down there. For one quarter, schools in that city had
consequences.

“For one quarter, you gave the paper pushers grade
books and we had twelve to a class. For one quarter, a D average
wouldn’t make you a football star, primary kids were taught
phonics, middle school kids were taught to spell and to write. For
one short quarter, kids who did nothing failed, and all Mama’s
screaming didn’t change it.”

She tried to pull away, but he pulled her back. “Look
down there. For two months teachers set standards, kids got
homework every night, and kids over eighteen who fail every class
they take were asked to go play somewhere else. The brightest
weren’t expected to tutor; they were expected to learn. Violence,
disrespect, laziness weren’t tolerated. You did that. Right down
there. What if it was only eight weeks? Without you it wouldn’t
have happened at all.”

She looked at him, unconvinced. “So, hurrah for me.
Now it’s over, and what have the kids learned—that I was lying
after all? That the ones who believed me and tried to do well were
the fools?” There was pain in her eyes. “I hate the thought of
that.”

“They just got a lesson in life, that’s all. They
learned what happens to people who won’t give in, won’t compromise.
That’s learning, too. No, nobody will think you were lying. Whether
they were for you or against you, they knew you meant what you
said. They learned that there was one administrator who really
meant it, who refused to cave. At least they learned that
much.”

She smiled a sad smile. “Yeah.” She took a last look
over the city below, and went to her car. “Get in.”

• • •

She drove south.

“Where are we going?”

Her eyes smiled. “You’ll see.” They bounced over the
tracks on Lincoln Avenue.

“My car’s back there, you know.”

“Relax, enjoy the ride.” She turned into a street of
older homes, and pulled up in front of a large two-story craftsman
with a ten pitch gable roof. A for sale sign leaned precariously in
the wind.

“Why are we here?” She got out, gave him a cagey
smile. “Let’s look.” She led him around the outside.

He looked. The first story was ship lap, the second,
shingles. There was three feet of overhang at the eaves and gables.
The roof looked in good shape, what he could see, anyway. It was a
nice place all right, but getting fired again didn’t give him the
urge to run out and buy a house. What was she up to now?

Rounding the front again, she led him up on the
porch. “Well, what do you think?”

“About what?” He was beginning to see, and it was
scaring him. “Wait wait wait… we were both fired today,
remember?”

She had that look in her eye. “We talked about
starting our own school.”

“This place? Is now the time?”

She took a key out of her sweater pocket and opened
the front door. “Could there be a better one?”

His heart skipped a beat. “Oh Jesus, you’ve got a
key.”

In shock, he trailed her into the walnut paneled
entry. “Why do you have a key?”

She smiled.

“Now you’re smiling enigmatically. Don’t do that.
It’s a bad sign when you smile enigmatically, a very bad sign.”

The house smelled of lemon oil and fifty years of
living. She gave him a tour first downstairs then up, pointing out
the uses for the various rooms.

“Am I right assuming this isn’t the first time you’ve
seen this place?” he said.

Upstairs was a large bedroom with its own bath. She
switched on the lights. “This’ll be ours.”

“Will be?”

“If you want it.” He was getting dizzy. “Wait a
minute, have you already made an offer on this place?”

“I’ve been negotiating with them for a month now.
That’s why I’ve been late getting home. The prelim looks fine.
It’ll work—if you want it to.”

He looked around him, hardly able to believe any of
it. “It’s a great old place, but there could be a hundred things
wrong with it. Dry rot, powder post beetles, underground
springs.”

She was ready for him. “Inspected, no problems.”

“What about money?”

“I’m using my savings along with what the district
gave to buy out my contract for the down.”

He ran his hand along the black walnut banister. “It
must have been a fortune. This is… This is nice.”

She frowned. “It’s been on the market for a year—I
got it for fifty under appraisal.”

“You got it.” He forgot to breathe. “You mean you
bought it?”

She held his eyes with hers. “It’s in escrow.”

Resentment burning his throat, he went to stand at
one of the windows overlooking the steep gabled porch roof. He
didn’t like being told after the fact. “Well, if it’s done, if it’s
already yours, then it’s yours. Why ask me at all?”

She came to stand behind him. “I’m asking because I
want it to be ours, not mine—ours. “ He faced her, not
understanding. “It’s in escrow, you said. It’s a done deal.”

“I’ve got the down right here in my bag. I left us a
way out, if you don’t like it we can back out right now.” She
looked at him, eyes alight with hope, and something else—fear
maybe. “Do you like it?”

It was dark. He couldn’t see anything out the window,
now. It really was a damned nice house. “Does it matter what I
think?”

She sighed in frustration and paced across the
bedroom. “Look, we both knew what the board was going to decide
today. We’ve known for a long time. I just couldn’t sit there and
wait for it to happen.” She opened her arms. “Here it is—if we want
it.” She squeezed his arm, her grip tight. “Do we want it?”

He looked around him feeling like a kid on his first
trip off the high dive. “Can we make it work?”

“I must have had twenty calls this week from parents
asking me to open a school. With our credentials, we can get a
license, no problem. I can teach K-6, you can handle 7 through 12.
We can always hire a couple aides.” She nodded, biting her lower
lip in her excitement. “Yeah, I know we can. Do you want to?”

He stood, forefinger on the bridge of his glasses.
Did he want it? What a question. “I want to help pay for it.”

“Oh, don’t worry.” She laughed. “Look around—we’re
going to need books, desks, everything.” She inclined her head.
“Does that mean you do?”

“Well, I don’t know.” He pretended to think about it.
“I’ve heard it’s a bad idea for single people to buy real estate
together. Very bad— from a business standpoint. “

She snuggled close in the cold room, and he took her
under his arms. “Oh, is that what you’ve heard?”

He was feeling cocky, like the whole world was coming
his way. “Yeah, that’s what I heard. It’s just not, you know,
advisable.”

“Well, then I guess we’ll have to do something about
that, won’t we?” He smiled, mouth against the skin of her neck,
tasting her salt.

Yes. Yes, they would.

• • •

Chelsea shut the big front door.

Back against it, she sighed.

Solange came in from the dining room. “Is that the
last of them?”

“God, I hope so.” Myrtle said.

Exhausted, O’Connel sank down on the stairs. “It’s
got to be.” He held up a hand for silence. “Listen.” It was
wonderfully quiet, the only sound sedate ticking from the wall
clock. Genaro came in pushing a dust mop, resting his chin on big
hands over the end of the handle. “I don’t hear nothin’.” Holding
their breath, they smiled.

“Yes!” Chelsea said.

Genaro looked at his watch. “Only six, not bad for
the first day.” Solange came to slide down next to O’Connel,
resting her head on his lap. “We did it. One day down.”

“One hundred seventy-nine to go,” O’Connel said.

Sonny came clicking across the hardwood floor from
her bed in back to stand, nose to the door.

“Oh, crumbs,” Myrtle said.

Solange frowned. “There’s a car out there.”

“I knew it,” Chelsea said. “We lost a kid. I’ll be in
my room.”

“No, you don’t,” O’Connel said. “Open up. “ Solange
yawned. “Somebody forgot a jacket, I bet.” Craning his neck to see
out, he laughed, surprised by whom he saw. “Well, what do you
know?” Up the walk came Sid, Aurora, and Karl.

Sid held them up at the door. “Permission to enter,
Madam Principal.” Solange tightened her hold around O’Connel’s
waist, and he ran a hand down her hair.

“Granted,” she said from his lap.

“I will most certainly be damned, will you look who’s
here,” Myrtle said.

“Chelsea,” Karl said, “what are you doing here?”

“I work here, live here, too,” she said. “I’ll be
going to U of O at night.”

“That’s wonderful, Chelsea!” Aurora said, hugging
her. “And our best aide and custodian, too! Boy, talk about rats,
jumping ship the first chance you got!” Genaro laughed.

“Damned right!” Myrtle said, baritone booming. “I’ve
heard about your principal this year.”

“Oh, please, don’t bring him up,” Karl said. “He’s
one of the little ones, out to make a big splash.” Sid held out a
magnum of champagne. “We brought this to christen the old ship
here.” He looked around. “Where do I do this?” He took a practice
swing against the banister.

“Oh, God!” Solange laughed, holding a protective
hand. “Not there!”

“Something hard—ah!” Sid’s eyes lit up, and he
measured his swing to O’Connel’s head. “No? Well, then, it looks
like we’ll just have to drink it. Chelsea,” he said imperiously,
“fetch some glasses!”

Laughing, O’Connel turned the bottle. “Hey, that’s
the good stuff What’d you do, rob a bank?”

“Well, I voted for a plastic cork, but Myrtle said
that for an occasion like this, the best was de rigueur. “Sid
looked to her. “Wasn’t that what you said?”