Last day of school:
Principal McNeil motions to Joe to take a seat across from his desk. Rocking back in his chair, Arthur says, “I’ll get right to it, Joe. I’m sorry, but this is your last day teaching at RHS.”
Joe chokes on the piece of candy that Miss Wather had given him. He coughs and coughs and struggles to get his breath. His eyes water, raining down like tears. Arthur takes a water bottle from his office mini-fridge, twists the cap open, and hands it to Joe.
“I’m fired? Why?”
“Come on, Joe. The assignment. All the negative publicity. That fight during the protest hit way over a quarter million views and comments, and even though the students were praised for their peaceful resolution, it never should have gotten out of hand in the first place.”
“But I apologized. Lieutenant Franklin’s presentation was highly impactful. You saw the students’ evaluations. The assignment will never be given again. Isn’t there anything we can do?”
“You were fortunate to finish out the year. The commissioner wanted me to fire you on the spot. But I advocated for you, did everything I could to save your job. You’re a year shy of tenure, so there’s nothing we can do. This assignment put us in a horrible situation. I’m still getting calls about it.”
The office closes in on Joe and spots dance before his eyes. He picks up the water bottle and drains it dry. Fired. Terminated. His stomach lurches and he fights getting sick by closing his eyes, but it only makes the room spin faster.
Opening his eyes, he says, “I’m a good teacher.”
“I know.”
“But—”
“I’m sorry. The decision is final.”
Joe loses his ability to speak. Thinking back, he’d expected to be fired after the protest went viral. One more black eye for the school, but things settled down. His apology leaked onto the internet, not his exact words because they weren’t recorded, but close enough. Sure, people said it was too little, too late, but his students supported him. Arthur had supported him, or at least he thought so. A reporter had asked Cade and Logan if they wanted him fired. Logan had said, “This was a learning experience for all of us.”
Realizing he’s been lost in his thoughts for quite some time, Joe looks up. There’s concern on Arthur’s face, but Joe knows him well enough that arguing will be futile.
Reality hits its mark. Fired. How did this happen? It’s still a shock to him. The light in the room shifts as everything Joe worked hard for unravels and floats away in a black void of nothingness. Who is he if he doesn’t teach? He loves it, loves the kids.
Color leaches from Joe’s face. His breath is short and shallow, and beads of sweat form on his forehead. Arthur takes out another water bottle and pushes it across his desk. He leans as far forward as he can, taps his fingers to get Joe’s attention.
“Joe?” He doesn’t respond. Arthur gets up, comes around his desk, and sits on the edge. He rests a hand on Joe’s shoulder. “Do you want me to call Mary? She could come in, help you clean out your room?”
Joe slowly meets Arthur’s gaze. “No. That’s all right.” He gets to his feet.
“You’ll bounce back from this. I know you will.” Arthur sticks his hand out.
For several heartbeats, Joe stares at Arthur’s peace offering. Then he turns around and walks out.
At the urging of many of his loyal students, Mr. Bartley attends their graduation. For about five minutes, it feels amazing to have them flock around him, offer their support. He has a few awkward moments of meaningless small talk with his former colleagues. One even turns his back to him.
Keeping his head up, he takes a seat closest to a side exit.
Joe sits through the usual speeches. And then, in celebration of Miss Wather’s retirement, the graduating class honors her with a video, chronicling her years at Riviere High School. There isn’t one photo with Joe in it.
The choir surrounds her and sings “True Colors” by Cyndi Lauper. They escort Miss Wather onto a platform, and then each member gives her a flower until there are so many she can’t hold them all in her arms. Heather, with her hair dyed pink, is the last one. She goes to the podium and announces that an outdoor garden with picnic benches will be dedicated in Miss Wather’s name. Mason, winner of the Outstanding Senior College Scholarship Award, stands and presents her with a beautiful plaque and a gift certificate for travel. Principal McNeil tells her to “come back and visit anytime, especially with bags of candy.” The crowd laughs and so does Miss Wather through her tears.
Logan, as valedictorian, gives her speech and concludes with: “We all know what it’s like to be intimidated, embarrassed, harassed, humiliated, or hated. We have witnessed others experiencing the same. The only way to counteract hate and illuminate the darkness is by lighting our lamps of kindness. We all possess a lamp within us. We just need to strike the match and outshine the darkness. How do you do that? Do not stay silent. I urge all of you to go out into this world and speak out against injustice. Wherever you end up, be ambassadors for change. Don’t close your eyes, don’t turn your backs, don’t turn away from the past. Learn from it. Use it. Make a positive difference!”
The bleachers erupt with applause. Mr. Bartley joins in. He’s so damn proud of her, but at the same time his heart is shattered. There will never be a retirement celebration for him. And if he is remembered, what will these kids say?
As the students receive their diplomas, Joe cringes when he recognizes that one student is noticeably absent: Reginald Ashford. An audio recording of Reg making racist, anti-gay, antisemitic remarks was turned in to Principal McNeil, providing evidence that eventually led Reg to confess to vandalizing Cade’s and Logan’s lockers. With two months left of high school, he was expelled. Fearing retaliation for the student who came forward with the recording, Principal McNeil never named the individual. Reg’s college hockey scholarship was revoked. Thanks to Mason’s outstanding save, the Riviere Rockets hockey team went on to win the state semifinals, but lost in the finals. Joe had been there to cheer on the team.
Sadness coats him like a layer of ice on the rink. This graduation might be the last time he’ll cheer for a Riviere High School student.
The moment the ceremony ends, Mr. Bartley leaves.
He applies for every teaching position within a sixty-mile radius. He doesn’t get one callback. He searches the internet for new job ideas, takes a personality test, and looks at various PhD programs in the SUNY network. Everything points him to teaching, and it plummets him into despair.
Mary wraps him in her arms. She doesn’t know what to do or how to help him. He doesn’t know, either. One trip to the liquor store for a bottle of scotch led to a rumor that he’s turning into an alcoholic. He drops his club baseball team, stops going to his favorite coffee shop, refuses to go out to eat, He wears the same sweats for days as he binge-watches shows on TV.
Then one day, Joe receives a letter in the mail. It’s addressed to Mr. Bartley. No return address. No signature. Just a typed note:
Dear Mr. Bartley,
I’ve done a lot of things I’m ashamed of, things that hurt others, and I got away with them. The truth is, I was real proud of that.
It’s been nearly five months since the assignment and I think about what happened every day. Your courage to say you made a mistake made a difference for me.
I feel pretty crappy about how my actions back then impacted innocent people.
I’m not ready to come forward and admit what I did. I don’t know if I ever will. But I’ve changed. I wanted you to know that.
There’s been a lot of talk. Were you forced to quit? Did you quit to write a novel? Most people believe you were fired. Whatever happened, I hope you’ll teach again.
Sincerely,
A former student
The letter gets Joe thinking.
With their savings and Mary’s income keeping them afloat, he decides to seek a different way to work with children. He gets in touch with a family shelter to volunteer and tutor kids. It’s a new start, one he hopes will rekindle the joy and passion he lost.