Middle of Everywhere - Mary Bray Pipher [78]
The bell rang. Everyone bolted but Homera. She asked Mrs. Kaye if she could change classes and have only women teachers.
Mrs. Kaye said, "In America, men and women work together; you must get used to it. We don't have classes just for girls."
Homera looked upset and Mrs. Kaye hugged her. "It will get easier. I'll help you whenever I can."
Day 26—October 21, 1999
Class began with a stern lecture on politeness. The day before, a policeman had visited to answer questions about how the law worked. He was a friend of Mrs. Kaye who was interested in helping ELL students. But the Bosnian and Croatian kids were afraid of him. Tharaya said, "In our countries, the police cut off your ears." The minute he walked in, the tough guys had something to prove. They refused to tell him their first names. Khoi and Cahn treated him rudely. Faisal and Anton had mouthed off as well.
Mrs. Kaye said, "He was my friend and our guest. We don't treat guests that way in Nebraska."
The kids were silent during her reprimand, heads down and bodies slack. She said, "I want your promise that the next guest I invite will be well treated." Of course, the polite kids immediately promised, but she had to call on the troublemakers one by one.
"Faisal?" Without looking up, he mumbled, "Yeah, sure," Mrs. Kaye said, "What?" He repeated it slightly louder and she passed on to Cahn.
Cahn said stubbornly, "I didn't do anything." Mrs. Kaye said gently, "Cahn, this is about the future. Will you be polite next time?"
Khoi said, "I'll respect guests if they respect me." Mrs. Kaye said, "I want you to be polite no matter what."
Khoi muttered something under his breath and Patti giggled. She had on elaborate makeup and in the middle of each silvery nail was a gold star.
Mrs. Kaye asked Anton if he understood her. Not to be outdone by Khoi, Anton said, "The police are pigs."
Mrs. Kaye said sharply, "My friend is not a pig. It isn't polite to call anyone an animal's name."
Mrs. Kaye asked, "How is school different here than in your home country?"
Tharaya said, "For the last few years there was no school in my country. Parents helped their children learn to read in basements." As usual, Tharaya looked fashionable today. It was hard to believe she put her outfits together from the Dollar Store and Goodwill baskets. But her surface appearance was deceptive. Her values were not the values of most Madonna fans. She was not a material girl.
Alberto continued the discussion about school. "My teacher was good, but we didn't have any books or supplies."
Zlatko said, "In Russia, there was better discipline. I learned to multiply in second grade. My brother is in fourth grade here and still cannot multiply."
"Maybe your brother is stupid," Cahn said.
Mrs. Kaye said, "We don't use the word stupid in this class."
He grinned and looked out the window at the falling leaves. Cahn was such a heartbreaking mixture of tough and shy. One day there was a very telling incident. When the class played charades, Cahn refused to play, claiming it looked boring. But when Anton and Faisal teased him and Khoi called him a chicken, he sauntered to the front of the class. He looked sure of himself, until he looked at his charades assignment. Then he froze; he was too nervous to think and his voice wouldn't work. Mrs. Kaye had to gently signal him to return to his seat.
Zlatko continued, "The American educational system is designed to make students stop thinking."
"I love the teachers at our school, especially the ELL teachers," Velida said.
Tharaya added, "The teachers are our American mothers."
"The teachers are okay, but I don't like school," Faisal said. Alberto and Anton agreed.
Mrs. Kaye asked Homera how she felt about American teens.
Homera said in very broken English, "I want them to understand our culture. American girls see my scarf and ask if I am a slave. I tell them I choose to wear this. I need something to believe in."
Faisal said, "One time a boy asked me, Why should we care about Iraq?"
"I would tell him that the more he cares about other people, the happier