The teacher's lounge was filled with scattered faces; Emma knew they were all teachers in the school, but she had no idea who any of them were.
She had gotten the job last month, about a week after she had moved back to Pickens. The interview was pretty painless - she was interviewed by Amanda, the assistant principal of Hagood Elementary. Amanda was a strikingly beautiful woman, with envious eyes and soft brown locks. Many people considered Emma gorgeous, too, with her dirty blonde hair and deep brown eyes, but Amanda put her looks to shame, she thought.
"Emma, nice to see you!" Amanda exclaimed from the other end of the room, as she made her way towards Emma.
"Hi, Amanda, how are you?" Emma asked politely as she gave her a short hug. Although Amanda was one of her bosses, they were very comfortable with each other; they would probably be friends outside of work.
"I'm doing great, just a bit tired, you know? The first day of school is always a little overwhelming, especially with little kids running all over the place," she chuckled. "You ready to teach for your first time here?"
"I think so," Emma said confidently. This would be Emma's first time teaching, though it had always been a passion of hers as a child. To be able to do it now, at the age of 28, was a blessing to her.
Amanda smiled, exposing her perfect white teeth. "School officially starts in about half an hour, so you can go into your class and set everything up. Good luck, Sinclair," she said, offering a thumbs up before talking with another teacher.
Emma slowly walked to her classroom - room 25. As she walked, she started to feel the nerves, but after entering the class, those nerves dissipated. The whole atmosphere of the room was comforting - the green chalkboard, the soft rug in the center, the seats waiting to be occupied. She took her seat at the teacher's desk, and after making some last minute preparations around the room, saw a line of students walking in.
"And remember, there's no homework tonight, just make sure y'all get your parents to sign those forms!" Emma repeated for the fifth time as her students were leaving the classroom. She glanced at the big clock on the wall - 3:05 PM. The school day was over, when it felt like it just started. It was a great first day - the kids were fantastic, and they shared many laughs together. It made Emma wonder why she had left Pickens in the first place. If she hadn't left for the city, this definitely would have been what Emma had done years earlier. But she knew that everything happens for a reason, and she couldn't take anything back now.
A couple of hours later, Emma and her fellow first grade teachers were having a small meeting with Amanda and the other assistant principal, Shelby. They were discussing the first grade curriculum for the first month of school: they would start very easy, as it was still summer, with short stories and addition and subtraction, and then eventually they would segue into more challenging concepts, although nothing too challenging, as they were only first graders.
"Okay, I think we got it all figured out," said Ava, one of the first grade teachers who Emma had grown close to. They were about the same age, Ava being two years younger, but they were more or less the same person in many ways.
"Definitely," Chloe agreed. Chloe was two years older than Emma, and they hadn't talked much yet, but there was something about her that intrigued Emma that she couldn't put her finger on.
"Well that settles it, I guess," said Shelby. "Y'all can go home now, if you want," she chuckled. "Good job today, girls."
Ava and Chloe immediately said goodbye to their coworkers and left the school, while Emma stayed behind to gather her belongings in her classroom and to talk with Amanda.
"That's adorable," Amanda laughed in response to a story Emma had told her about one of her students, Taylor, who spent the whole school day singing the national anthem, even after Emma repeatedly told her to quiet down. "Kids like her are the reason we do this," she added. "Hey, Emma, it's my birthday this Saturday, and I'm having a get together at my house. I was wondering if you'd like to stop by? Ava and Chloe and all of the other teachers are coming, too."
"Absolutely," Emma said without hesitation. Amanda was growing to be one of her great friends, and she couldn't say no to that. "Just fill me in on the details and I'll be there."
As she was driving home, Emma replayed the events of today in her head. Today, she had met her wonderful, lively students for the first time, and they were terrific. She had also grown closer with her coworkers, especially Amanda, and she was set to go to her birthday party on Saturday. Life was looking good.