Page 45 of Love Lessons

She gave a little pout and a seductive roll of her shoulders, but he just raised an eyebrow and she stopped. He passed over one of the plates and a set of silverware.

It was time for a distraction from sex. And more importantly, time to let her know that he cared about the things that were important to her. How did the letter go?

She shrugged. Who knows? I think I wrote it well, but who knows what the school board will think. I can’t even pretend to understand the bureaucracy. What do they care about thirty-two students and a program I’ve spent the past six years building up?

Will you tell me about it? Lena looked hesitant, so he pushed. I’d really like to know.

Lena heaved a dramatic sigh and then launched into it. They’re defunding my program. So, I’ve got thirty-two Deaf students between sixth, seventh, and eighth grade. They do math and science with me, and English and social studies with another teacher, all in ASL. And every semester we each choose something fun to teach. Right now I’m doing video production.

She smiled when she said it, like she was as excited about it as the kids must be. Dustin loved seeing her so open and passionate like this.

And there’s one aide who interprets when they take electives. It’s already a nightmare trying to schedule the aide so that two of them can take geometry and six of them can take drama and so on. Some of them speech read or hear well enough to take electives without interpretation, so it’s really up to them. When they don’t have other classes, they usually hang out in our classrooms to catch up on homework and work on independent studies, which, by the way, I love teaching.

Her love for teaching was clear, and he wished he’d had a teacher that passionate when he was young.

The model that she described made sense, too. He’d pretty much had his own interpreter his whole life, once the powers that be figured out what he needed. Then he’d gone to Gallaudet where all of the classes were in ASL anyway.

Your students are lucky to have you. What were you saying the problem was, though?

She stabbed a pepper with her fork and then chewed while she signed. They’re killing off the whole program. Apparently, the district says that it’s not the “Least Restrictive Environment” and the kids should all be mainstreamed. They’re going to replace my colleague and I with two more aides so the kids can be in hearing classrooms. I’m sure it’ll save the school a lot of money that they can use for the new football stadium or some bullshit, though.

Holy shit! Are you going to lose your job?

Lena shrugged. I’m a middle school teacher with a certification in math, science, and special ed who can sign. I can get the same awesome job with the same shitty salary anywhere. No, I’m just pissed because the kids really need that socialization. They need Deaf community. And a lot of them are several grade levels behind, either because of the language barrier or because they have multiple disabilities. Without someone like me teaching them in small classes, like eight to ten at a time, they’re not going to catch up.

Some of them, though, they’re brilliant. I’ve got two eighth graders now who finished algebra with me in seventh grade and now they’re taking geometry in this class with, like, six hearing kids. Because I know what they can do, and I push them hard. They wouldn’t get that anywhere else.

And, she continued, in case you’re not familiar with the IDEA Act, my classroom is the least restrictive environment for a lot of those kids. Some of them are going to end up in special ed classrooms anyway, which means they’ll be even more spread out over the school and the aides won’t be able to cover as many fun electives. Not to mention that they won’t get as much support with a hearing teacher who’s having to work with other kids.

Dustin admired her fire as she continued her rant.

And I don’t even know where it’s all coming from. The program’s been in place for decades and I’ve been there for six years. We get all of the Deaf kids from the rest of the district, which is four other middle schools, and the parents love the program. My classroom is a crappy little room in the basement without any windows, but the kids really like it. She started to sniff, not quite crying. They know someone wants them there.

Dustin leaned over his plate and pulled her chin into his hand, then signed with the other. No one could be better for those kids than you. Whatever the district says, I know that you’re doing the right thing and you’re giving it your all. If they don’t agree with you, that’s their own stupidity. But what you’re doing matters.

He could feel her trying to look down, but he fought her on it. Her skin was pink all the way down to her chest. He watched her until she returned her eyes to his. I’m proud of you.

Tentatively, Lena rubbed her cheek into his hand, her faint scruff rough against his palm. He stroked his fingers through her hair, tracing the shape of her ear.

They sat like that until she started to relax again. Eventually she took a bite of enchilada, which she’d been neglecting so far.

Deciding that he’d put her through enough for the moment, he dropped his hand and went back to his food. This is delicious. We’ll definitely have to make these again sometime.

She nodded in agreement, not contradicting him about the plan and even seeming eager. Which was really good news because he wanted to spend a lot more time with her.

But he didn’t want to push too far or too fast, so he turned the conversation away. Tell me about the plants on your shelves.

He expected to hear the usual, about how they were easy to take care of or something.

But she launched into an excited monologue, and when she was excited like this she absolutely shone. He wondered if he would ever get tired of her passionate enthusiasm, and he didn’t think he would.

Talking about her plants, though, was entirely different from when she was talking about her work. Before she had been fiery and dedicated. Now she was happy and bouncy, sometimes literally hopping around in her chair.

He just couldn’t get enough of watching her in all of her moods.

She didn’t just tell him about each species of succulent and where she’d gotten it. They each had names. Not like scientific names, although she knew those too, but sign language names, like people.

And personalities.