Chicago Private School for the Deaf Chapter 3
"I'm pleased to welcome everyone to their first day of high school," the teacher smiled and looked around the class as she signed.
"I am Mrs Turner and even though I'm only your homeroom teacher, this is the classroom you are assigned to take any standardized tests in and where all first day paperwork for the school should be turned in," she holds up a stack of envelopes, each presumably filled with said papers, and sets them back on her desk to continue to sign to us.
"I will start to call everyone up alphabetically to receive their packet and schedule. Feel free to ask any questions about your schedule if there are any. Anthony Oliver, Samantha Ortega..." Mrs Turner continues to sign students names when a small light on the edge of her desk flashes once quickly. She looks back toward the door of the classroom and the students, including myself, follow her eyes to the back of the classroom where the door is to see a flustered boy with very tanned skin looking around the classroom for an empty seat.
"You can take this seat right here in the front. What is your name?" Mrs Turner ushers the boy to the seat in front of mine.
"Uriah Pedrad," he signs back as he drops his backpack on the ground by his feet and slouches in the seat.
"Well Uriah, since it is the first day of school I will let this tardy slide. Looks like your next on my stack so here is your schedule and first day packet," she puts the envelope and sheet of paper with his schedule down in front of him.
After she turns back to the stack everyone forgets about the late arrival and waits for Mrs Turner to finish handing out papers.
"Beatrice Prior." I get up from my seat and walk up to the front of the classroom to receive my packet and schedule. Mrs Turner hands me the papers without making eye contact, and I go back to my seat.
After she is done handing out packets, there are still a few minutes left in class. Uriah turns around in his seat with a goofy grin. "So what does your schedule look like?" He grabs his schedule off his desk and turns mine so they are laying right next to each other. "Sweet we have second, lunch and fourth period together. My name is Uriah by the way."
"Yeah I kinda got that when you made a scene earlier," I laugh a little and he blushes very lightly. "My name is Tris, nice to meet you." Just then the overhead lights flash signaling the end of homeroom.
"See you in second period Tris," Uriah waves at me as he exits the classroom. I realized that I haven't even gotten a good look at my schedule yet and have no clue where I'm going.
1- English I- Coach Norman- A083
2- Geometry- Mr Fischer- B104
3- Art- Mrs Jones- D118
4- World Geography- Mrs Green- B133
Lunch
5- Track- Coach Donald- LR
6- Health- Mrs Garza- D220
7- Biology- Ms Hightower- C110
I pull out the map attached to my schedule and find where I am by the signs in the hallway and follow the signs and map to A hall. I put my finger on where I want to go and look at the signs posted on the walls to get a sense of direction. The hallway lights flash once, signaling two minutes till the late bell. I take a right down a hall marked A080-A085 and read the classroom signs until about halfway down the hall on the left is the class marked A083.
"Hello, may I see your schedule to make sure you are in the right class?" the man standing at the door, presumably Coach Norman, greets me. I hand over my schedule and he looks over the first period line. He marks something on his clipboard, probably the attendance sheet, and holds out his hand to shake.
"Go and take a seat anywhere," he hands me my schedule back and I step into his classroom. It is pretty ordinary looking, the seats set up in 5 rows of 6 facing the front of the room where his desk sits. I don't see any familiar faces so I take a desk toward the back of the middle row and wait for the late 'bell' to signal and the few lost and stray people to trickle in.
"Welcome everyone to 9th grade English, I am Coach Norman," he looks to be middle aged, with dark hair and a few grays. "This is my 12th year teaching English, my 5th at this school. I also coach boys basketball and golf. This is your course syllabus, I'm not going to read it to you since you should hopefully be able to read by now. I need the last page signed by you and a parent or guardian," he hands a small stack to the first person in every row and everyone takes one and passes the rest back. "If there are any questions, the way to contact me through my teacher email is on the front page of the packet. I expect everyone to have this paper signed by Wednesday for the first grade of the year."
Coach Norman continues to stand at the front of the class and sign to us important rules of the class, the normal no cell phones unless permitted and such. "Well I'm done droning on so go ahead and have some time to talk or play on your phone," he goes and sits at his desk and pulls something up on his computer screen.
I take out my phone and look at all the texts Christina sent me since homeroom.
C: So what classes do you have?
C: Tris? Helloooo
C: Have you gotten your schedule yet?
C: Send me a pic whenever you can :)
T: Sorry I'm just now looking at my phone, here's the pic
I wait for a response.
C: Yay! We have second, third, lunch, sixth, and seventh together :)
T: Oh thank goodness I was scared I wouldn't have anyone all day
C: Haha I'm sure you'd make friends
T: I met a guy named Uriah in homeroom, we have second, lunch and fourth together
C: Oohh Tris found a guy friend ;)
T: You know that's not what I meant
Just then the lights flash again and everyone gets up from their seats and leave the classroom. Once I exit I pull out my schedule and map once again and weave my way through the halls to find B hall for geometry.
Just like first period, the teacher greets me at the door and checks my schedule, telling me to sit anywhere. I enter the classroom and the desks are arranged in groups of four. While scanning the room, I feel a tap on my shoulder and turn around to be face to face with Christina.
"So where do you want to sit?" she asks.
I scan the room and see a familiar tanned boy with dark hair that is cropped on the sides and left longer and curly on top. I walk over to where he is sitting by himself in the group of desks in the back corner and take a seat across from the boy.
"Hey Uriah, this is my best friend Christina. Christina, this is the guy I told you about from homeroom," I introduce them to each other.
"Let's all compare schedules," Christina suggests. We each smooth out our schedules and lay them side by side to compare.
"Well we all have this class together obviously, and we all have the same lunch. Tris, you and I have art, health, and biology together. Uriah, you and I have English together. And you guys have world geography together," Christina signs as her eyes look over our schedules. Just then the lights flash and Mr Fischer closes the door to begin class.
Once he starts we all realize that it's the same speech that every teacher is going to give us and we zone out. I end up doodling on the course syllabus he hands out and playing tic-tac-toe with Uriah on the corner of his paper, me winning two out of three rounds.
Eventually the class is over and Christina and I say bye to Uriah and agree on a meeting place for lunch. I pull Christina along as we make our way back to D hall for art.
When we get into the art room, the teacher has a seating chart on the front table. The tables each have a pair of stools at them facing the front of the classroom. When I can finally see the seating arrangement, I am in the back of the classroom with the other people with last names beginning toward the end of the alphabet and Christina is toward the front of the room.
Once again, the lights flash and class starts, but the only problem is that the teacher is no where to be seen. Christina turns around in her chair and makes a confused face at me and I shrug in response. Everyone looks around confused and then the door opens and a lady wearing all black steps into the classroom.
"Sorry for the wait guys, even teachers have to use the restroom once in a while," I guess this is Mrs Jones. "Also, I have you in alphabetical order because it is easier for me to learn names, so once the school year is up and running you will be free to move seats. All of your teachers probably go by Mr, Ms, or Coach, but that makes me feel old so I would like you all to call me Tori," she continues. "This is the class syllabus and it has all of the materials that you will need to purchase for the class, if there are any problems with obtaining the required materials, let me know and I will talk with your parents," she walks down each row of tables and passes out the single sheet of paper.
When she is finished she goes back to the front of the room and pulls something up on her computer, projecting it onto the board at the front. "Now put the syllabus away and I would like everyone to come and get a blank sheet of paper from the front and your preferred tool for art and draw or sketch your favorite part of the summer," she gestured to the table at the front and everyone gets up to collect the materials. "This is what I drew so I will leave it here for inspiration," she finishes speaking and goes back to her desk and pulls out a book.
I look down at my paper and envision the safari I went on during my trip to South Africa last July. I begin to sketch and get lost in the world of art when I look up and Christina is standing in front of my table and the rest of the class is empty.
"Come on class is over, hand in your drawing to Tori," Christina takes the colored pencil from my hand and turns around. I stand up and give my drawing of a lion pride to Tori and exit the classroom.
"Tris that drawing was really good, you should sign up for a contest or something," Christina signs as we walk down the hall.
"It wasn't that great," I argue.
"Yes it was," she counters.
"I'll talk to you later Christina," I sign as I turn down B hall.
"See ya Tris," she waves and makes her way to the volleyball locker room. I follow the signs on the wall and make my way to world geography where I'm supposed to meet Uriah.
I enter the classroom, taking a seat in the first row, and wait for Uriah to show up. He enters the classroom in a rush just as the lights flash to signal the start of class, and takes the seat to my right. Mrs Green takes her spot at the front of the classroom and starts the same speech given to us by every teacher. I eventually end up daydreaming until class is finished.
"So how have you liked Chicago so far?" I ask Uriah as we walk to the cafeteria.
"It's been interesting," he answers.
"That's one way to describe it here," I laugh.
"Is that Christina over there?" He looks to a table in the middle of the cafeteria and I nod in confirmation.
"Let's go get in line," I steer toward the lunch line and wait to receive my meal. After getting my slice of pizza and a water bottle, Uriah and I meet Christina at the table she is sitting at.
"Hey guys," she greets us.
"Hey Christina," we greet back. The rest of lunch goes by with small talk about summer break and Christina and I tell Uriah about ourselves and he tells us about himself. When lunch is over we all go to throw away our trash and I separate from them making my way to the track locker room and they go to Coach Norman's class.
This school year isn't going to be as bad as I thought it was.