Read Online Lessons Learned by Sydney Logan - Free Book Online Page A

him that ‘boringest’wasn’t a word. It was just the first assignment, and I’d told them I was grading on content and not grammar.
    I had to bite hard.
    Most of the essays had been much of the same—full of bad grammar and negative perceptions about their hometown. The sad fact was everything they’d stated in their presentations was true. Sycamore Falls wasn’t culturally diverse and our movie theater did have three screens. The nearest big city was over an hour away, and Internet access was spotty in some areas of the county.
    It was all true, and I told them as I walked around to the front of my desk.
    “You’re right.  Sycamore Falls is very sheltered from the rest of the world.”
    Caleb, a quiet student in the third row raised his hand. “So, Miss Bray, if everything we’ve said is true, why did you come back?”
    At that moment, twenty pairs of curious, expectant eyes turned my way. This class was just too intelligent and inquisitive. It wouldn’t take long before one of them asked their parents, or searched the web, and that’s when I’d be asked the questions I really didn’t want to answer.
    “Because, sometimes, you need sheltering,” I replied softly.
    Thankfully, the bell rang, and the students groaned with disappointment when I dismissed them for the day. I had just sat down at my desk when I heard a quiet voice echo from the front row.
    “Miss Bray?”
    I looked up to find Matt staring at me, his deep brown eyes sad and distant.
    “Yes, Matt?”
    “Do you think it’s possible we’re too sheltered from the rest of the world?”
    I smiled softly and closed my lesson planner.
    “I thought the exact thing when I was your age.”
    “But not now?”
    I sighed and leaned back against my chair. “This might surprise you, but Sycamore Falls isn’t nearly as sheltered as it used to be.”
    “Maybe not materialistically,” Matt said with a shrug, “but what about socially? Did you hear about the all-district punter from Nashville whose parents wanted to move here to work at the clinic? His dad is a pediatrician. They even bought a house in town. They were here for one week, Miss Bray. One week .”
    “Why just a week?”
    “Because Sycamore Falls didn’t roll out the welcoming mat for a black family,” Matt said quietly.
    I wasn’t surprised. A quick glance around my classroom proved nothing had changed when it came to diversity in Sycamore Falls.
    “People form opinions, and it can be hard to get them to change their minds. Unfortunately, it happens everywhere.” I offered him a sad smile. “You know, Matt, you could have written about this in today’s assignment. This would have been a fantastic class discussion.”
    He chuckled, but it wasn’t a humorous laugh.
    “Right,” he mumbled. “Don’t you know, Miss Bray? Teenagers are the most opinionated of all, especially if you don’t conform to the norm. You can’t be different. Not if you want to be accepted, anyway.”
    Matt slumped in his desk, and I couldn’t help but wonder what was really bothering him. As the quarterback of the football team, the boy was worshipped at Sycamore High. Girls flocked to him and he was obviously the most popular guy on the team.
    “Are you saying you’re different, Matt?”
    His expression turned somber.
    “I’m the high school quarterback who’s dating the captain of the cheerleading squad.  I am the biggest walking stereotype, and I play my role every single day.”
    I was so confused, but I didn’t get the chance to dig deeper. Aubrey suddenly appeared in my doorway, asking if I was ready to go. With the first football game in two days, Tommy was spending extra time on the field, leaving Aubrey alone most nights. I’d invited her and the baby over for dinner and an 80s movie marathon.
    “I’m going to be late for practice,” Matt muttered, grabbing his jacket and books. “See you later, Miss Bray.” He muttered a polite hello to Aubrey and ran out the door.
    “That looked