The kids were tired the next morning, but they still managed to be grumpy when he told them that no, they couldn't have candy for breakfast. He did tell them they could pick out several more pieces to have in their lunches and they grudgingly complied, getting excited when they found the various non-candy things he'd left on top of each child's trashcan. Things like small rolls of pennies, toys, and coupons or stickers. It was all he could do to get them to finish breakfast and go to school on time.
Jack was wading through some reports later in his office when his phone rang. "O'Neill," he answered briskly.
"Is this Colonel O'Neill?" a female voice spoke on the other end. The voice was vaguely familiar.
"Yes it is," he answered, trying to place the voice while he kept flipping through papers on his desk.
"This is Ms. Janissima, Sam's teacher," the woman said, and Jack could almost hear her smile. Whatever the reason for the call, it couldn't be bad. Just to be safe though…
"Sam's not in trouble again is she Ms. Janissima?" he asked, trying to keep the trepidation out of his voice, the reports he'd been working on now forgotten.
The warm laugh that answered him immediately put his worries to rest, before she even spoke her next words. "Oh, no Colonel O'Neill, nothing like that. I was just hoping to be able to meet with you. If that's possible, I know you are very busy…"
"Oh, no, no. That would be quite all right. In fact, I'm sure the General will let me go a little bit early tomorrow if you like, and we can meet when I pick the kids up from school. Would that be ok with you?" Jack wondered what Ms. Janissima could want to meet with him about, and his thoughts drifted back to his conversation two days ago with Sam and her new dislike of math. He hoped Sam wasn't still avoiding doing her math work.
"That would be wonderful Colonel, I look forward to seeing you then!" They said their goodbyes and hung up, Jack still wondering just what sort of talk he'd be having the next day.
AsLongAsWeGotEachOther,WeCanTakeAnythingThatComesOurWayJack led the kids into Ms. Janissima's second grade classroom, causing the woman to look up from her paperwork with a smile. She gave a nod towards the back of the classroom, indicating Jack could settle the kids there. Jack took the hint, getting the kids set up with their homework and assignments from the day before heading up to the front of the class and taking the seat next to the desk that Ms. J indicated.
"Thank you for seeing me on such short notice Colonel O'Neill, I know your schedule must be very busy," she started off by saying, shuffling some papers on her desk.
He shrugged. "They come first," he replied simply.
Ms. J raised one eyebrow, but a pleased smile was tugging at the corners of her lips. The Colonel's attitude brought about a most refreshing change from that of many of her parents. Not that most of her parents weren't concerned about their children, just not many were willing to rearrange their schedules to fit in unexpected meetings without at least some complaint. "Very well, I'm sure you are wondering why I've asked you here?"
Another shrug. "I'm wondering what she did this time."
The other eyebrow joined the first and the lips quirked again. Another surprise. She knew the Colonel was fostering Samantha, but he still seemed to treat her and the other two as if they were his own children, accepting their strengths, and their weaknesses it seemed, in stride. Again, a refreshing change from those parents that chose only to see their children as perfect. Still… "As I assured you Colonel, Sam has done nothing wrong, in fact, she's doing extremely well." And now he looked positively smug. She fought the smile down again.
"Ah, I see," he said. "No more problems with the New Age Math?"
Ms. J had to duck her head a moment to hide her smile at that one. Lifting her head again she was all business. "For the most part," she assured him, "Sam seems comfortable setting up her formulas using the New Math, although she still does occasionally protest that we do things 'wrong' or differently than she is used to. But she spends less time arguing and more time getting things done." Jack nodded, satisfied, ignoring the correction in terminology as she suspected he would, and she continued. "All that aside, I feel that Sam has adjusted rather well, and she continues to protest that she belongs in the third grade, and not the second." She paused, and looked at Jack.
"And?" Jack looked back coolly, rising to the bait.
"And, judging by her work, I'm in agreement with her. Other than a few small adjustment issues, Sam is completing her work before the other students and asking for more. For now, I've managed to keep her stimulated and interested in the material on hand, but my instincts tell me that if this keeps up she'll grow bored and unhappy."
Jack leaned back in his chair casually, and crossed his arms. "So?" he asked, the single word conveying his question for the next step. His eyebrows arched up, his face passive, open and waiting.
"I've spoken to Mrs. Parker, and Ms. B," Ms J started to explain.
"Ms. B?" Jack interrupted curiously.
"Yes, Ms. B is the third grade teacher," Ms. J replied.
Jack frowned, confused. "Does everyone go by a letter designation here?" he asked, suddenly thinking in codes and security clearances.
Ms. J only laughed. "Ms. B is short for Ms. Byerly."
"Ms. Barley?" Jack repeated.
Another chuckle. "Ms. Byerly," she tried again.
"Beerly?"
"Buy-er-lee."
"So, the Ms. B person?" Jack asked pointedly, trying not to scowl.
For her part, Ms. J tried not to smile as she took up her explanation again. "Ms. B," she said, with slight emphasis on the B, "The third grade teacher, and Mrs. Parker both agree with my assessments. Ms. B has agreed to allow Sam in her class on a trial basis," Ms. J said evenly.
"Therefore?" Jack frowned, leaning forward slightly.
Now Ms. J smiled, wondering if the man was always this cautious. "Sam will be in the third grade. We could even start Monday. However…"
"But…" Jack muttered, and Ms. J looked at him, surprised to note that he seemed almost pleased to have unearthed a contingency. She blinked, and continued on after taking a breath.
"As I mentioned, this will be a trial basis, given the adjustment issues I mentioned before, we'll have to see how she'll do in the new environment, and whether she'll be able to continue to perform at grade level. I assume you've been helping with homework and the extra assignments?" At Jack's nod, she continued. "Good, Ms. B will continue with those, but if Sam's performance starts to slip, we may have to reevaluate Sam's placement. What you have to realize, Colonel, is that if it should prove necessary to move Sam back to the second grade, it may be more detrimental than if we simply kept her here in the first place." She gave a moment for her words to sink in, and was pleased to see the man thinking, his dark eyes unreadable. She knew he was weighing all the options carefully, just like she had before presenting them.
Jack considered everything he'd been told. On one hand, it might be safer to keep Sam in the second grade, but like Ms. J had said, they ran the risk of letting her brilliant mind go stagnant, a mind that Jack had the advantage of knowing just how brilliant it was. On the other hand, if she didn't fit in well with the school system of today, and was unable to adjust, they would be forced to move her back to the second grade again. For the second time in what would seem like such a short period of subjective time to her memory, the damage such a move might be even worse. But this was Carter. Albeit, a thirty-nine inch, forty-eight pound rip off seven year old version of her. But she was still Carter through and through, he'd seen that same determination and intelligence shining through on more than one occasion in the last few weeks. He knew she'd rise to this new challenge, just like her adult version rose to every challenge he'd ever seen her presented with.
"Let's do it," he told Ms. J, his voice confident, without the slightest bit of hesitation.
Ms. J finally allowed the smile that had been lurking full freedom, and it bloomed across her face. "I'll make the arrangements. I must tell you, Colonel O'Neill, that it has been most wonderful having Sam in my class, as short a time as it has been." Jack grinned at the praise. "She's been a pleasure and a joy, and I wish you luck with her," she told him sincerely, knowing she'd miss the bright little girl. There was something special about her, something wise beyond her young years.
Jack smiled again and patted his hands on his thighs, shifting in his seat. "Well, now that that problem is out of the way," he said, leaning forward after casting a surreptitious glace over his shoulder as if to make sure the kids were still occupied in their activities. He lowered his voice conspiratorially. "What do you know about training bras?"
Ms. Janissima only stared at him.
A/N: Thank you everyone who left feedback on the Halloween chapter! I'm glad you enjoyed it. I just couldn't help having the kids decide to be something completely out of character with their grown up selves, but something that a kid would have no qualms whatsoever about. My brother wanted to be a trash truck driver when he was in kindergarten. He now works with computers. But despite the fact that childhood fantasies don't always turn out the way the kids think they will, it was worth it to give Jack a bit of a panic attack. (As well as making him extremely grumpy all day and night) I'd mentioned an idea about the trash man desire to my betas, and they came back to me that instead of just one kid, that somehow they'd all want to be a team on the trash truck, and I couldn't resist the idea lol. And, well, I thought that smoosher thing was really cool when I was a kid.