Stacy was collecting math notebooks to take home for marking on Friday afternoon as the last of the students left the school building. She looked up to see a tall, slender young Hutterite woman walk into the classroom.

“Hi, can I help you?” Stacy asked.

The young woman extended her hand and gave Stacy a very firm handshake. “She must have been milking cows all her life,” Stacy thought. “Hi, I’m Marissa – Rebecca, Cody, and Tessa’s sister. We’re going for a walk. Would you like to join us?”

“Sure, I would love to. Just give me a minute to gather my stuff and get it into my car,” Stacy replied. As she picked up her purse she was surprised to see that the zipper was open. “That’s odd,” she thought. “I’m sure it was closed before.”

Stacy stashed her box of books for marking and prep work in her car, and joined a group of six Hutterite young women who had gathered around Marissa. “Homework for the teacher?” one of them asked. “Always,” Stacy smiled.

“Miss Stubinsky, I would like you to meet Martha, Mary, Sarah; and you’ve already met little Martha, Esther, and my sister Rebecca from school,” Marissa said.

“Oh, you may call me Stacy,” Stacy replied. “Except for you girls,” she continued, pointing to the three students in the group. “You still need to call me Miss Stubinsky.” Little Martha giggled. Stacy noted that the nickname must refer to her age, and not her size. “So how far do you girls walk?” Stacy noted that the others were all wearing track shoes with their dresses. She had never committed this fashion faux pas, but around here it might be a good idea to break with her fashion sense and embrace practicality.

“Not far,” Marissa answered from the front of the group. “We usually go down this path between the fields, up that little hill, and then around the gardens and back to the kitchen. This is our break before we need to go work in the kitchen.”

Stacy had a new respect for these strong, hard working people. And by the time they reached the top of the hill, she had a new outlook on their choice of footwear. She made a mental note to wear her Reeboks tomorrow, even with a dress.

Marissa noticed Stacy lagging behind and stopped to wait for her. “I’m not in very good shape,” Stacy laughed. “Do you do this every day?”

“Yes, we try to,” Marissa responded. “So how was your first week in the school?”

“It’s been busy!” Stacy said. “The students are mostly co-operative, but trying to plan for nine grades, plus kindergarten, is quite a challenge. How about you, what do you do when you are not working in the kitchen?”

“I’m taking my grade 12 studies by correspondence. I could use some help with my math.”

“I could try. I passed grade 12 math, but I forgot everything right after the final exam. Word problems always got me confused. If car A is heading west at 40 miles an hour and car B is driving east at 35 miles an hour, how many hours will it take before they meet car C which is stalled on the railroad tracks heading north?”

“You’re funny,” Marissa said. “Mrs. Reynolds wasn’t funny. I think she hated it here. Having a baby was her excuse for leaving.”

“Well, I won’t be using that excuse,” Stacy laughed. “I’m not even dating anyone. How about you, aren’t most Hutterite women married by 20?”

“I’m only 19. And I don’t plan to stay here until I am 20,” Marissa lowered her voice. “As soon as I get my high school diploma, I plan to get out of here.”

(To be continued)

Did you miss parts 1 and 2? Get caught up:

Part 1 http://authspot.com/short-stories/first-day-of-school-for-the-teacher/

Part 2 http://authspot.com/novels/the-new-teacher-chapter-2/