THIRTY-SEVEN
"…and our sixth grade classrooms are on the third floor. You mentioned that your daughter is in the fifth grade?"
Her heart skips a beat though she nods calmly, "Correct."
"Then perhaps you would like to visit a class before your meeting with the principal," their guide offers. "None of the teachers would mind having you sit in for a few minutes."
Elfnein's hand tightens in hers, but Elfnein nods.
"We would appreciate it," she accepts.
"Then, follow me this way. We will slip in through a back door, so as to not accidentally cause a ruckus." He takes them to a classroom denoted 5-B, sliding the door carefully.
They slip in, the teacher pausing momentarily in her lesson but recovering quickly. A few students notice their entrance, prompting their guide to gesture for the students to return to their work.
Elfnein steps slightly behind her, ducking away from the stares of a few persistent students.
It reminds her of when she used to hide behind her uncle whenever she felt her anxiety flare up beyond her control; now, she is not quite the same imposing figure as her uncle, but she fixes the students with a stern frown until they look away. They should, after all, be minding their lessons.
"Who can," the teacher raises her voice, "solve this problem on the board for us?"
Several hands go up, the teacher chooses a student near the front, and the student voices aloud the steps as she solves the problem.
"Good, Miss Sakura. Now, can someone else solve the second problem, but incorrectly?"
Her brow furrows as she wonders why an instructor would ask a student to solve something incorrectly on purpose.
Once again, a student voices aloud the steps he takes, arriving to an erroneous conclusion.
"Miss Sakura, can you tell me where Mister Smith made the mistake?"
Ah.
How intriguing.
They stay for the duration of a couple more problems before their guide ushers them outside.
"While our curricula follows the national standard, our teachers are known for their innovative instructional methods, which are shared amongst the staff at monthly meetings. Parents also have a say in this at the monthly Parent-Teacher Organization meetings." The guide pauses for breath, then continues, "We take the education of our students seriously, as I'm sure you have noticed."
Quite so, she agrees, but ultimately this is for Elfnein, and the only parts Elfnein seemed genuinely interested in were the library and chemistry labs; though, it is understandable that Elfnein would shirk away from the classes themselves, given her own experience with social anxiety.
"I think we have seen enough," she says, prompting the guide to nod.
"Then I will take you back to our main office to speak with our principal."
She glances at Elfnein as they retrace their steps to the front of the school.
Elfnein looks back at her, shrugging helplessly.
"Fret not, we have time to make a decision later on," she murmurs, bringing up her free hand to tentatively tousle Elfnein's hair, just as her uncle used to do.
Elfnein grins.
a/n:
I meant to update over the weekend, but then I got really into this other story I'm working on—I think I've mentioned it before—so I didn't. But I promise I will update tomorrow; I've half that chapter written.
Thank you to zeroblackdragon15 for the classroom suggestion! ^^
Please review!