The Toughest Teacher of All

"They are a little rambunctious, " Mr. Pete said. He was a small man, quite wee. Mr. Dass rolled his eyes, giving me a better perspective, no soap in the sink. "They have scared three big, bad male teachers off since September," Mr. Dass told me. Both of their faces were almost burgundy red now, they tried hard, bright-eyed, and curiously pink. "I would like to try it," I told them. "I'm not easily scared," I said with all of my masterful me. I ended up teaching the drafting students for three years, we went through gobs of ink. "This was the most difficult one credit hour class I ever took in my life," one of my charges told me. Three years into it, and neither Mr. Pete or Mr. Dass had told me this, I gave the student a wink.