Remembrance of History Past: Maria

Maria was a member of my first 2 Honor class back at PeeVee. Bright. Vivacious. One of the "go-getters" who signed up for Shakespeare/Modern Lit two years later. Then she was off to UC San Diego from PeeVee. I figured that I never see her again, like most of my students.

In January of this year, in the week following winter break, I attended a portfolio conference with Hamm, Tsuko, and Metcalf, down in Anaheim. When I returned, I found the sub’s note: "All classes were great. But I expected that. Your baby is too cute." Unsigned. I stared at Kyle’s pictures on my bulletin board next to my desk. Too true. But also too personal for a sub.

I looked back at the note. The handwriting was vaguely familiar. I had seen this writing before. But where? I looked for anything else the sub might have signed. I found it. A hall pass. But just initials. M.A.

Bingo.

The handwriting belonged to an old student of mine. Who is now substituting? Naw.

The next morning, my first period class, my college prep freshmen, came in with news. "You know, Mr. Walters, that sub we had yesterday was a student of yours from Pleasant Valley."

I tracked her down, first by going down to Elizabeth, the principal’s secretary, to learn for certain that it was Maria in my room yesterday, then to learn that she was on campus today. Then I sent a note down to her to have her come by for lunch.

Still bright and vivacious. Finishing her teacher credential year at Cal Lutheran. Slogging through Ivory Tower bullshit classes (where, as a Hispanic female who had grown up in a Spanish-speaking home, she had to take a load of shit for speaking out against bilingual education, stating that though the theory behind BLE is great, the reality in the classroom does not allow it to work fully). Earning an elementary credential (though she had just realized that she wanted to teach high school... what the hell was she thinking?).

When on that day, two of my 3H’s from last year came in to tell me that some of the other 3H’s were not going to take my 4H class next month, Maria laughed out loud.

"Still pushing hard, eh, Mr. Walters?"

I smiled.

Maria turned to the 3H’s. "Tell them that they’re blowing it. The only stuff I learned in English classes at college, I learned from him." She smiled at me. "A lot of us didn’t like you back then..." I nodded, grinning. "But we never talked badly about you after going to college."

I laughed. "Did you talk badly of me then?"

"Not me. But, you know... Some people didn’t want to work that hard."

"Still the case..."