Sitting alone in my classroom I look around at the chaos left by so many students. Their pencils and papers on the floor, discarded notebooks left scattered across the floor a sign of the last day of school. I stand and begin to gather some of the papers from the floor and realize that homework hurts trees. All of this paper wasted by students who don’t care about learning and just use all of this paper to appease the teacher’s wants and their parents desires.1
I don’t want to be here anymore. Looking out the window I am jealous of my students out in the beautiful sunshine enjoying the soft breezes while running with bright smiles towards the freedom of summer. I know I will go crazy if I have to stay within these cramped walls many more hours this week.2
Jumping up I run to the window and throw it open yelling out of it for all of the kids to enjoy life while they can. They look at me and laugh, some screaming, “Bye Ms. M!!! Have a good summer.” While others laughingly say, “She’s nuts.” I don’t care I may be different but it is who I am and I love me. I’ve never been one of those teachers that are just like all the others. I play rap and hip hop in my class, can honestly do a bit of rapping myself and will proudly prove it to a class of well behaved students. 3
Going back I sit down in the floor and gather all of their discarded supplies to me, sorting out those to be trashed and those I can use the next year. Ms. Walks enters my room and sees me sorting through all this and makes derogatory comments about my saving even the smallest thing that should just be trashed and a new one bought next year. Looking her dead on I give her my best Rhett Butler and reply, “Frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn.” Shaking her head she walks out of the room and laughs. I don’t care. I’m me and happy with who I am. In a whisper to myself I respond to her belittling laugh with one of my favorite phrases, “Yeah, I’m a loser, but the coolest loser you’ll ever meet.” Knowing I wasn’t heard I laugh at my own silliness.4
Standing up I walk over to the trash to throw away what can never be used again, dropping it into the can I see what looks like an invitation. What struck me as odd was what it said. I couldn’t help but laugh at the audacity of the quirky student who’s name was in the from spot. Above her name it simply said, “'I’m going to have a tea party and none of you are invited.” I knew she wasn’t one of the most popular girls in the group but she had always been so sweet and shy that I never thought she could do anything like this. Laughing out loud I grabbed the invitation with its little teddy bear holding a cup of tea and take it to my desk. That is just too perfect, it can’t be trashed. It shows just one more side to such an innocent child.5
Suddenly I had a great idea and grabbing the invitation and scissors I run down the hall to the empty teacher’s workroom. I want to laminate this invitation just as it is at this moment, giving myself no chance to lose it or wrinkle it or anything else. After using my scissors to cut the non-invite off of the roll I run back down the hall and trip on my own feet. Glancing up I see a sign hanging from a 2nd grade teacher’s class that says “Do Not Run With Scissors” and couldn’t help but laugh to myself. For I had just done it, I ran with scissors and survived. I jumped up and ran on to my classroom wanting to escape these enclosing walls as soon as I could.6
Placing the non-invite in this year’s year book next to the picture of the young girl who had so cleverly written it I look around my room. I see that all is done for today and the clock shows three pm. Time to go home I grab a box of markers and run out the door singing to myself, “I've got A.D.D. and magic markers, oh the fun I will have.” Coming across a group of teachers standing in front of the exit closest to my car I continue singing my little song while trying to edge by them. They all look at me like I am so weird and all I know is they laugh because I'm different but I laugh because they're the same. 7
Finally making my way around that cluster of robots I rush out the door. I sing louder as I feel the sun’s fingertips brushing across my skin. I skip my away across the parking lot with all the similar little cars that are in perfect condition and perfectly clean inside to my little sunfire that has fading paint and a mess of things within its backseat. Settling into the driver’s seat of my car I blast my radio to the DJ talking about the end of school and crack up as he ends his rant with, “Warning, children left unattended will be sold to the circus.” Backing up and turning the wheel I shift to drive and the last thing anyone sees of me this school year is my electric blue bumper with its sticker that completely describes me: I'm not random, I just have many thoughts.8
Author notes
Although I used many of the quotes my main one is : I'm not random, I just have many thoughts.
A contest entry
- Quotes quotes quotes! by ice wolf.
265 points, ended September 15, 2008, 12 entries
Gold trophy winner
• next story in this contest, remove from contest - Make Me Laugh! by tonialoise.
525 points, ended September 22, 2008, 28 entries
Honorable mention
• next story in this contest, remove from contest - Random Junk! by XxXDreamWeaverXxX.
130 points, ended October 31, 2008, 11 entries
• next story in this contest, remove from contest - Randomly Randomness by KaitieTheCheeto.
140 points, ended November 15, 2008, 16 entries
• next story in this contest, remove from contest - CRAZY!!!!!!!!!!!!! by comandercrazymonkey.
111 points, ended November 28, 2008, 17 entries
• next story in this contest, remove from contest - What is your best short story? by gocubsgo25.
325 points, ended October 28, 16 entries
• next story in this contest, remove from contest
Comments
1 - 31 of 31
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Enjoyable story =) Nice to see a teacher with both care for her students and a good sense of humor - shame she's stuck in such a lackluster place, though. Cheers to freedom and summer!
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I'm already counting the days until this summer!
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Wow, I really liked it!! I wish my teachers were like this or at least one of them.
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Lol I'm not random I just have many thoughts. Love that!!
Good luck!!
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jezz i wish my teacher was like this... just not the crazy part!
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This story is so much fun! I love its quirkiness and honesty. Very cleverly constructed to - with the quotes running through it. I really enjoyed reading this :-)
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Thank you so much. It was a very fun piece to write.
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Love it, a teacher who's intouch with herself. She seems alittle juvinile but I bet she can connect on a whole new level with her students. Fantastic!hehe.
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Thanks!!! Oh yes, when the mood strikes very juvenile and your right most of the time no one can tell who is the teacher and who is the student (doesn't help any that I'm as short as most of them either).
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Very good!
That was amazing... Unique in it's way. I loved it from beginning to end...
And the way you wove the quotes is worth appreciating. I came here through the "Spotlight"... And I congratulate you for coming up with this piece of prose. Well done! -
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Thank you for your kind words.
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I LOVE THIS! WHAT A FIND!
I couldn't believe I stumbled upon you and this treasure...something I NEVER thought I would discover on this site! A TRUTH teller! One in touch with her true, politically INCORRECT self! I want to shout the cliche "BREATH OF FRESH AIR...but I contain myself. Instead I say: "Thank God Almighty, I'm NOT alone!"
I loved what you said...and how you said it. I loved your "non-invitation" - "And NONE of you are invited!" I loved your running with scissors! I loved your A.D.D. and magic markers!
I loved this whole thing, Ms.Alee...but beware, there are plenty around here that could and should be sold to the circus! But you...YOU...are not alone! (There's always me!)
Best,
GA
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Thank you for your kind words. Its always great to find someone who can understand and appreciate my randomness.
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Oh wow, this is amazing.
I lve how you incorporate so many quotes into one beautiful piece. 
Great job. I honestly believe you oughta win a Gold for this, but that might just be me. It's very artfully and aptly (diff word?) done.
-HT
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Thanks for the kind words. Whether I win or not I had fun with writing it.
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I laughed at the running with scissors gag before I even got to the punchline!
In the first paragraph you repeat "the floor" a lot, it's a little distracting.
I like your use of all the quotes from that contest, quite ingenious fitting them all in one story. Any other place they would seem tired and cliched, here they speak of the teacher's wackiness.
Oh yeah and I seem to be opposite of other people here, for me it started a little slow but had a nice pace towards the end.
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Quite an interesting story that has a steady beginning leading very well to a quirky ending. I can see no real flaws in the writing and thoroughly enjoyed reading it. Two items, which are quite personal, I found a little offputting. One is the presentation on the page. Red writing on black background is hard for me to read. I have funny eyesight. The second one is that the 'teacher' has no face. She has a personality, but no face and no body. I like my characters to have substance. Let me say that I thoroughly enjoyed the story as it it well written and quite different from what I usually read. Thank you for posting.
beginning: 3, language: 4, plot: 3, ending: 4, characters: 3.
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Thank you for your comment and and reminder about coloration of the text on the page. I realized that there was no physical description of the teacher but believe in this story it is not really needed because I was more interested in sharing who she was not what she was.
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Great work amanda...I am proud that you got this one put on the spotlight stories list. You know I love your writing...you always inspire Me.
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Thanks so much T. Knowing you enjoyed it makes writing it worth it. Finding out it made you smile would be the only thing that could top the compliments.
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Yes the beginning was awsome, quotes u used such as homework hurts trees were really funny. But then as the story went on, it started to get weaker and weaker. Anyway good job on the begining though.
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Your story sounded frazzled, and I mean that as a compliment. You convinced me that the teacher was frazzled at the end of the semester, which struck me as a quite likely state for her to be in. However, the best part of your story was that you showed me that, frazzled or not, she was definitely not beaten down. Her brain was still whirling a mile a minute, and of course that led to the final punch line. You did an amazing job of saying that in only 800 words.
Perhaps the stylistic form you used was necessary to get all that across, and perhaps it is just me, but I have to admit that the style grated on me, and took away from my enjoyment of what you were doing. I am referring to the frequent use of phrases like, "Jumping up I ...," "Going back I ...," and "Standing up I ...."
I believe those may be what grammarians call "participial phrases," and I counted twelve of them in this short piece. Were you intentionally trying to make your readers as frazzled as the teacher?
I'm not suggesting there is anything grammatically wrong with that construct (though perhaps it needs a comma), only that I felt as if it was overused.
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Admittedly when I write I tend to try and make my readers feel what the characters are feeling. I guess that is why I continuously used the participal phrases, I wanted the continuous movement and excitement of the teacher to be felt by the readers.
I will admit I hate remembering where to put commas and things such as that so normally just leave them out.
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Fast out the lanes, asthma attack near the end of the race.
At the beginning, I liked this quite a bit. It felt creative and witty. It was snappy and to the point at first, but I feel like it got weaker as it neared its conclusion.
I started this story with no idea that there was any goal to fit quotes in, but at the end I saw that you seemed to be going out of your way to get things like "I'm laughing because they're all the same" in there, which is one of the most tired lines in subculture history.
Anyhow, good luck. in your contest(s?)
beginning: 5, language: 3, plot: 3, ending: 1, dialog: 2, characters: 4.
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well okay them you are good then idk i didnt read it haha i will th
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I sincerely hope you do come back to read it and let me know what you think.
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I have to agree with Dan. This is really good. You used the quotes in here perfectly. I was somewhat worried that mixing all of the quotes in one story would end badly, but you proved me wrong. Excellent job.
As far as the paragraphs, Dan is right. Anytime it's someone else speaking or doing something it's a new paragraph. I really liked this. It was a well-written and clever story. I actually know a teacher that's a lot like this. Thanks for bringing back the memories.
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Ah-hah! A clever little tale, ingeniously weaving most all the quotes together almost flawlessly. Very good work.
Nit-pick time.
The one thing I noticed, is that there aren't many paragraphs. I'm guessing this is probably a stylistic choice, but in a couple of spots, I think a new line should be started, as it's a new person doing stuff, or talking. Example:
Para 4:
"Going back I sit down in the floor and gather all of their discarded supplies to me, sorting out those to be trashed and those I can use the next year.
Ms. Walks enters my room and sees me sorting through all this and makes derogatory comments about my saving even the smallest thing that should just be trashed and a new one bought next year.
Looking her dead on I give her my best Rhett Butler and reply, “Frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn.”
Shaking her head she walks out of the room and laughs. I don’t care. I’m me and happy with who I am. In a whisper to myself I respond to her belittling laugh with one of my favorite phrases, “Yeah, I’m a loser, but the coolest loser you’ll ever meet.” Knowing I wasn’t heard I laugh at my own silliness."
That's really the only thing I picked up on, not that that means to much, my grammar is not the best.
Anyway, great work, and thanks for entering the comp.
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I loved this, it really made me smile. It's well written and unique, very entertaining. I'm going to nominate it for the front page against your will. lol
The contest sounds interesting, and all the quotes worked so well in this.
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LOL, thanks! That's very kind of you to say and do. I don't think I've ever had anything nominated for the front page before.
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well now you have. Good luck in your contest.
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