dear you and you, two letters

1. dear teachers,

a thousand apologies. mea culpa. i do realize that the Eng 101 papers the kids schlepped to school today are not the homework we so labored over last night. that work, in all its multi-colored glory, is currently under the dining table. we're doing our best here.

sorry, too, about the spoons. that was my fault. they said, spoons for the yoghurt. i said, sure. i didn't put them in. maybe there's an extra utensil or two?

it's a shame about the juice boxes. i just didn't think of it the last few times i was at the store. and sure those Ethos bottles are way too big, but they're from Starbucks so maybe that will make them look more snobby and less like welfare projects.

you might be happy to know, though, that the children were bathed this morning, that they got on the bus for once, that they're wearing fairly clean socks.


2. dear student,

you weren't the only one who forgot the final draft of his paper. no, there were a few in every class. it happens. i say 'it's due on' a million times, you forget a million times. could happen to anyone. i get it. the brain is a fickle thing.

neither were you the only one who i told to take an absence, run off, and print it. fifty minutes, i said. remember? plenty of time. there are labs here and here and here. i pointed.

you were, though, the only one who took the full 50 minutes. everyone else came running, panting. you strolled in with a minute to spare. it's possible, the printer jammed, the margins were messed up, you fell down a few times on your way to the lab. it's possible.

thing is: when you came in you were wearing a different outfit. head to toe. different shirt, pants, shoes. i'm sorry i shouted, You're joking. i'm sorry i alluded to Sarah Jessica Parker and her wardrobe changes at the Oscars. the white shirt and jeans were fine, clean and neat. actually, the new outfit, the pink shirt and pinker shorts were... it's not about the fashion really. we both agreed on that. you even chided that the shorts were red. i'm glad you were in good spirits. grateful for you saying, It's a student story to tell. it is. i look forward to reading your essay, which came from your bookbag. the one you left in class while you went to change.


yrs,
hannah