“Oh- hey! Ms. Mars, could you send me a softcopy of the field trip permission slip? Just in case there isn’t enough for my class.”
“Sure, no problem. I’ll forward it to you on outlook.”
“Thank you.”
-
He downloads a copy of the doc, editing a few choice lines and printing out 6 sheets. Technically, he could only afford 3 comfortably but that’s nothing some time away from his breakfast diner could fix.
Later at the end of his class, as he’s handing out the papers to pass down the line, he’s watching their expressions. Most are excited. It’s a field trip, who isn’t excited for a day outside the classroom?
They’re not the ones he’s focused on, it’s those that skims the paper, eyes that drop onto a specific line and shoulders scrunch slightly.
“Alright, alright. Guys, my hand is up! Quiet coyote, I know you’re all super psyched but remember to get your parents to sign them! Regina, David, Bert, Samantha, and Peter, could you guys stay for a bit? You’re not in any trouble, I promise.”
Students were already chatting about the trip next week, shoving the slips into their bags and skedaddling out of his door. A few glanced back at the 5 he called out, friends that would wait outside the classroom to walk together or just mild nosy curiosity.
“Come huddle up.” He passes them the extra papers he printed out this morning in the staff room. They glance at each other and at the paper before asking. They’re smart enough to figure why they were singled out.
“Well, I knew your guardians might have trouble with the admission fee, so I managed to convince the museum to make some exceptions. But this is a secret, okay? Principal Moriz can’t know I have special connections, or else I’d never get to see my classroom again!”
There we go. Smiles and jittery excitement. Peter throws his arms around him, the rest are expressing their thanks. He pats the kid and reminds them all that they still need a signature by Monday, dismissing them.
They don’t really need to know that the fee is coming out of his pocket.