Read Kindergarten Baby: A Novel for Free Online Page B

on the rug, waiting eagerly to hear what they would be doing next, Lindsey glanced at her plan book to make sure she had something planned that was fit for a principal’s careful scrutiny. Fortunately, she did. She was glad she had a few minutes to talk with the children about the principal’s impending visit.
    Lindsey started the reading lesson by guiding the students through a “picture walk” of the book. “What do you notice about the cover of this book?” she asked. “Alexa?”
    “There’s a lady cooking something.”
    “Good! How do you know that?”
    Alexa answered, but she sounded annoyed at being asked to explain what she considered to be so obvious. “She’s got a pot and a spoon. Duh!”
    Ignoring the sarcasm, Lindsey went on. “What else? Armando?”
    “I see kids. They look like they want what’s in the pot.”
    “Good! Let’s turn to the title page and—”
    “Mrs. Wilson is here! Mrs. Wilson is here!” shouted the children.
    Lindsey smiled. “Welcome to our classroom, Mrs. Wilson. We were just about to read this book. Make yourself at home.”
    The principal sat just behind the children, looking very serious and gripping an official-looking green notepad in one hand. Lindsey proceeded through the lesson, confident that she knew what she was doing, and that she could do it well. They discussed all the pictures then stopped just before she showed the last page, and she asked for predictions concerning how the story might end. Then she turned back to the beginning and read the words, touching each one as she spoke, simultaneously teaching the young children about one-to-one word correspondence and directionality.
    “The Kitchen Kettle by Janine Cowlee,” read Lindsey.
    A maniacal grin spread across Bobby’s plotting face. Oh, no, thought Lindsey. Here it comes.
    “She’s ‘cow’-lee ‘cause she looks like a cow,” teased Bobby.
    “She does?” Harley asked, looking sincere. “I don’t think so.”
    “I never seen a lady that looked like a cow,” added Marvin.
    And away they went. Every child put in his or her two cents, and all at once. So much for raising hands or talking one at a time.
    “Ladies don’t look anything like cows,” Joseph said in a rare attempt to be helpful.
    Emma’s little fists were on her hips. She was not impressed. “We never even saw the lady,” she reasoned.
    “You’re mean, Bobby!” said Armando.
    “Well, you’re stupid!” Bobby shot back.
    “You are ‘cow’-lee, too!” Connie threw in.
    Bobby scowled, closing in on tears. “Am not.”
    “You guys! The principal is here!” shouted Emma, clearly uncomfortable.
    The bickering stopped, but Lindsey could see that some of the students didn’t know whether to be upset about Bobby’s “cow”-lee business, or if they should be more worried about the school principal witnessing the chaos.
    Lindsey wasn’t upset. She actually found the whole situation rather amusing and tried not to let the children see her smile, but she wasn’t so sure that Mrs. Wilson shared her point of view. So she quickly showed her disappointment in the children’s behavior and asked them to return to their regular table seats. When they showed her they were ready to come to the rug and act like students, she said she would invite them back.
    Had the principal not been there, she would have used this opportunity to stop, seat the children in a circle, and conduct a class meeting to work through the situation with guided problem solving. In retrospect, she wished she’d done that. But it was hard to think on the spot when she was being observed.
    ***
    After Laura and Lindsey ordered their latté and mocha, they sat at a round table in the corner, enjoying a good view of the coffee house. They sipped in silence for a few minutes, winding down from the day.
    Suddenly Lindsey blurted out, “I can’t believe he hasn’t called or come by to talk. Don’t most couples that split up at least fight for a while? He owes me