Initial Meeting (3/1/10)

It's morning. The shining sun is beginning to turn from orange to yellow as it evaporates the dew drops off the grass and warms the coolness in the air. I get a slight chill as I open the door of my car and step out. The school looks so large. Its red bricks, metal doors, and few windows make it appear to be a confinement building filled with cells full of students and teachers who have no access to the outside world until the school bell rings at the end of the day. I was about to enter this world, a world of learning - and boredom for some. I walked up to the mouth of the monster, hoping that it would not chew me up and spit me out like a bad piece of meat. The heavy metal door slowly opened under the force of my weight as I pressed into it. I weaved through the maze of students in order to reach the Administration Office. I signed my name on a list that said "victims," or was it "visitors;" it is too traumatic to remember. I walked down the long hallways that snaked past lockers and classrooms until I reached the room that I wanted, B110. I entered quietly, not knowing what reaction to expect, if any, from the person waiting on the other side of the door. She greeted me, introduced herself and immediately sat me down at a desk to discuss the punishment for whatever crime I had committed. Placing her very organized calendar on the desk in front of me, she pointed out exactly what she wanted from me, three lessons and two Standards of Learning (SOL) reviews. The topics are as follows:

• Lesson 1: Foil and Special Cases (3/23/10)
  
• Lesson 2: Factoring (3/25/10)
  
• Lesson 3: Solving Quadratic Equations (4/13/10)
  
• SOL Review 1: in computer lab (4/20/10)
  
• SOL Review 2: in computer lab (4/29/10)

Fifteen minutes was beginning to seem like an eternity until she said five simple words to me, "I'm so excited you're here." The dim lights seemed to grow brighter as I processed the phrase. I left in expectation, looking forward to observing her class the following day.