"Austin seems to be a nice kid," the teacher said. "A bit quiet, few friends. I'm not sure if his Star of a Week was appropriate, though…."
Georgia clasped her hands together. "What, may I ask, is Star of the Week?"
The teacher launched into an explanation. "Star of the Week is a program where the children bring in things from home that represent themselves."
Georgia smacked her lips together, rubbing in her lipstick. "And what did Austin bring in?"
"Letters from his father that were from, and I quote, 'Azkaban,'" the teacher said, her eyes sympathetic. "Those letters are deeply personal, and I'm sure the subject matter is too mature for kindergartners, I'm not sure they understood….Let me give you an example. While the assignment is to 'represent themselves,' many of them bring in something they think is cool. For example, a drone."
"A drone!" Georgia knew she could not afford a drone. While she was aware that many of the parents at Wellsbury were in a different income bracket than she was, she was not acutely aware of it as she was now. "I'm sure Austin followed the assignment's guidelines better than a kindergartner who showed off his drone. Yes, the truth is Austin's father is in jail, but I explained in kindergarten-appropriate terms. Austin is in charge of his homework, and he does it on time. Neither I nor my daughter Ginny help him. It's a credit to his own responsibility to finish it, and I am proud of him following the assignment's guidelines."