AP English

Mrs. Sammie Smith. All I had heard of her was that she came here from teaching in Inner City Chicago. And then that she would be teaching the little ones Latin. Self taught, they said, but then she told us she majored in such things. She said so with a British accent. Almost. Her vowels are very British but the R's, the famous R's, are certainly pronounced. Did I mention she wasn't British?

So far she seems nothing short of a living, breathing, English teaching oxymoron.

She claims to be from Joplin Missouri, and it's a growing belief among her students that this isn't true, that she's covering something else up with this story. But wouldn't she try to hide the accent? Besides, I know the story's true, unless she's in cahoots with Spraley. His wife taught Mrs. Smith when she was in the Fifth grade.

She wears such strict looking clothing - suits and the like. The shoulders in particular always look rather strong and unyielding. But there's always the slightest feminine touch - the way the bottom of said suit gathers when she sits, her shoes, something. Something small but undeniable that neutralizes the image. Short hair, but a soft cut.

Her face... it's not hideous, it's not pretty. It's strong looking, a little boyish... unfriendly. Until she smiles. Which always takes you by surprise, however often she does it. And she does it a lot... and her whole face melts, and you feel suddenly quite fond of her. With her straight, hard face she tells the class that she makes incredible Brownies. Then she smiles and blushes...

"Is anyone overwhelmed?" She asks. "I don't want to overwhelm anyone." And what do you say to that? It only makes it more difficult to complain among ourselves. And there is a bit to complain about... for the first seven days, counting from the first day of school, we are given 200 pages of literatures to read and annotate.

We are reading The Awakening, Kate Chopin. I like Chopin well enough, as these things go. Her short stories were among my favorites last year. But I prefer her in small doses, a book is a lot. And The Awakening is strange. I agree with the meaning it strives for but not with the main characters methods. From the back,

"The poignant story of a woman who pursues love outside of her restrictive marriage in turn-of-the-century New Orleans." Yes, yes, forget New Orleans and the time frame and you've described a hundred stories. And usually I sympathize for the suffering protagonists. But this is different... confusing me from the start.

Edna is quite free, as far as I can tell. By restrictive marriage they can only mean "marriage"... her husband provides well for her and is friendly - even when shocked at her rather inappropriate transgressions he hardly raises his voice. Edna has adorable children and hardly any responsibility for them. She has a cook and maids for cleaning. She is free to pursue her painting and to associate with whomever she likes. On the summer vacation she swims and spends much of her time with an unmarried man - her husband is far from worried, he likes the chap. His only real demands seem to be that she treat him kindly, love the children, leave a good excuse when she goes out on the one day a week she is expected to take visitors, and not actually have sex with anyone else.

How horribly restrictive! I can see how this drives to her first to not one but two simultaneous affairs and subsequently suicide! How strange! Quid debemus cogitare?