“It was the bloodiest war in our history, but the War of Secession put an end to slavery in the United States, restored the Union and strengthened the role of the Federal Government. The consequences were enormous, and continue to impact America’s economy and politics to this day. But how did it start? Well, the War of Secession was triggered when the Confederate States launched an attack in Charleston, South Carolina. It soon became a civil war. This was in 1860, almost a century ago,” explained Mr. Slayton, teacher of history at Irvine High School, California. Unfortunately his students were neither studious, nor curious, nor motivated. All they wanted to do was retain the minimum information required for that week’s test, and so they concentrated without really listening. Still, Mr. Slayton did not hesitate to embellish his discourse with wild gesticulations, outbursts and anecdotes. He’d once dreamed of being an actor, but had been told he “didn’t quite look the part” between his premature balding, his wonky teeth and his lisp. In his mind’s eye he saw himself lighting up the boards on Broadway, starring in front of Hollywood cameras, and captivating the attention of thousands of viewers. Yet here he remained in Irvine, the same place he was born and raised. He’d had trouble landing the post of history teacher, for he had few contacts and little appetite for the job, and knew nothing of the art of pedagogy – but he had stayed here, huffing and puffing before galleries of apathetic teenagers, for ten long years.
Megan wondered which dress she would wear to go to the movies with Jordan tonight. He was cute, and she’d been making eyes at him since the start of the year, but he’d sure taken his sweet time to ask her out. He wasn’t shy either; he was on three sports teams and very popular. Megan’s heart had almost given out when he came to see her in the lunch hall, setting down his tray and sitting opposite her, and flashing her a broad smile before making his grand overture: “You wanna go to the movies with me on Thursday? I’ll buy you a bucket of popcorn.” She could wear her green Sunday dress…it was pretty, but a tad too showy for the movies. She didn’t want to look like an idiot. Sitting beside her, Jordan’s mind was less active. He wondered if he’d get a kiss out of her, and more importantly whether he would do it right. He’d already kissed a girl at summer camp – three times, no less – but still, he didn’t have that much experience. And Megan was a classy sort of girl; if he pushed his luck too far he might get nothing but a slap on the cheek. Still, he remembered how delighted she’d looked when he’d asked her out, and the thought gave him courage. At the back of the classroom, a great many questions were running through Kevin’s mind. His father was pushing him to join the baseball team, but he preferred boxing. The boxing club in Irvine didn’t have many members, so if he wanted to make a career as an athlete baseball was a safer choice. But baseball had never been his thing, and when his father dragged him to the local games Kevin spent his time imagining he was in a boxing ring. He preferred the contest to be toe-to-toe; he liked to see two men going at it, sizing each other up and letting their fists do the talking. His mother worried about his enthusiasm for pugilism, and reminded him that boxers often ended up with broken noses, cauliflower ears and brain damage. What did he care? He wasn’t looking to win any beauty pageants. Besides, chicks liked guys with busted faces – it showed you had guts.
“Revise this lesson carefully; there’ll be a test next Monday at 4 o’clock,” Mr Slayton warned. The students were jolted from their daydreaming. Awh heck, read their faces as they realised they’d taken nothing in and written nothing down. Mr. Slayton went back to the teachers’ lounge. It was a thankless job, in the end, being a history teacher at Irvine High School. The students were always bored, and they weren’t the only ones.
Alan Alfredo Geday