We sit in G’s new room. H. grades papers. Ilana checks her messages. D has his iPad open. Judy arrives with a handful of parents. She presents; one asks a question. Then another. Soon after, they leave for another “workshop.” H. resumes grading. I work on an IEP. D and Anthony, who arrived with the first parents, chat softly in Swahili.

I leave to join my Special Education team in another room at six. We see one parent, then talk. I text Frankie through the set-up for his new phone. Before we know it, we are leaving the inaugural “Meet the teachers” event.

Out of a student body of over 500, maybe fifty parents came.

the drive home

H. standing at the corner

under a streetlight

Photo by Sam Balye on Unsplash

first published in Image Curve, July 16, 2020