The Everyday Adventures of Sam and Megan (GirlxGirl)

Season 3: Episode 8

| August 13 | Monday Morning |

~ Megan's POV ~

The nerves I felt in my stomach were making me nauseous, but I tried to ignore it for the sake of having a good first day back teaching. I knew I was prepared, but was I ready to take on the task of teaching our youth again? In this day-in-age where public education seemed to be an afterthought for our politicians in charge? Was I ready to compete with testing standards and deal with parents who didn't want to put in the work to help their child succeed?

Okay, calm down, I told myself. You've met the parents and most of them seem more than great. You're in a good district and you have a very bright class. You will be fine.

Sam had groggily wished me luck as I kissed her on the way out this morning. She and Blair would be running the streets of Tampa today, no doubt. I kind of wished I could enjoy the sunny day with them, but Sam needed some alone time with her best friend. It was probably best I was at work.

Palm Vista Elementary wasn't a very big school because of the St. Petersburg population, which I liked. Smaller classes seemed to be a common thing here, which meant more one-on-one time with students who needed a little more time and help. In result, the school itself was also very small, and coming from Baldwin High back in Missouri, my new school was a bit of a culture shock.

As I approached the gymnasium, I could hear the excited chatter of kids, which made my heart flutter. Every morning the kids were directed to the gym before the entry bell, where they would follow their teacher to class.

My hands fell onto one of the doors and pushed it open, revealing a warmly lit room with hardwood floors and plastic bleachers. The sound of chatter intensified as I noticed some children were conversing and talking animatedly while others stayed to themselves. Then I saw my grade and some familiar faces. I hurried over to my class and stood next to the other third grade teachers.

Ethan leaned over. "How are you feeling?"

"Nervous," I responded. "But excited."

It was nice to have someone like Ethan there who understood first-day jitters and would be my hallway neighbor I could turn to for help if I ever needed it.

My eyes scanned my group as I counted heads and tried to recall my students' names from my memory. Ben, Ashton, Ethan's little girl, Eli... I continued to struggle with a few names but realized there was one face I was missing. Ava. Where was she? I looked down and checked my watch, noticing there were only a few minutes until starting bell. A sadness filled my stomach at the thought of the night I had first met her and her guardian. Was she okay?

Then, before the bell could ring, another little body pushed through the gymnasium doors with an escort by her side. A hand-me-down backpack and rainbow sneakers made their way to my class section as fast as they could while worried, brown eyes stayed fixated on the floor. As Ava sat, those worried eyes left the floor and caught my stare. I watched her worry dissipate for a moment as she raised her tiny hand to wave.

I returned it with a smile.

* * *

The first day of class had been successful in terms of me and my class getting to know each other a little better. We played a third-grade version of jeopardy, wrote letters to our favorite people, and a few other fun activities so that I could determine where we were as a class, which seemed to be a lot of fun for both parties. Now, they were all reading books from my classroom selection for the last thirty minutes as I waited for the right time to escort them to their departure areas.

As I jotted down notes, I couldn't help but continuously glance at Ava who seemed to be struggling to read her selection. I had learned she was behind in almost every subject and was on the cusp of being left behind by her classmates. I could tell she was struggling to read a few words in the book because she would frequently lean over to ask Ashton, who I had sat next to her, how to pronounce a word.