TEACHER'S PET
The fourth grade class ambled into the room in two's and three's,
chatting animatedly. Only Darlene Smith came into the room alone.
She spoke to no one as she hung up her coat and walked to her seat. As
others discussed the previous evening football game, and new winter
clothes, Darlene cast lonely glances about the room and settled down
with a sigh to tidy the contents of her desk.

The bell rang, and the teacher managed to get everyone into their
seats. The day started with the return of a scripture test the class
had wrtten three days earlier. Darlene had dreaded the return of the
paper since she completed it. Now the moment of anguish had arrived
for her. Mr. Lowen, the teacher, unintentionally inflected pain upon
her by announcing loudly:

"Darlene Smith leads the class with a mark of ninety-eight percent."

Darlene rose swiftly and half-ran to the front of the room to recieve
her paper. Behind her she heard Blair Steward remark with a sneer,
"So, 'The Brain' came first again. Goody for her!"

"The little brat is such a snit. Never does anything wrong...always
gets good marks...even offers to help the teacher. She makes me sick!"
Patricia Owens added to Blair's remarks. To these stinging comments
Darlene was defenseless. She only blushed and started back to her
seat. Freddy Thomas tripped her before she had gone halfway down the
aisle. She almost fell on her face while the entire class laughed at
her misfortune. Darlene looked up at Mr. Lowen for aid, but he had
not seen the incident happen. She could only pick herself up and hope
to reach her seat before someone tripped her once more. At her desk
she fought to hold back her tears and the anger that had built up in-
side of her at her resentment of being humiliated.

For a while the class settled down while the teacher went over the
test with them. During that time and in the history period that fol-
lowed, nothing marked Darlene's separatemess from the rest of the
class.

It was when Miss Norlander came to the room to teach the class health
that the puplls again displayed their hostility to Darlene.

"Now, Class, I want you to choose partners and decide on a topic suit-
able for a health project...."
 
Unfortunately, there were an odd number of students in the room and 
within minutes everyone had a partner except Darlene. She became ex-
ceedingly self-conscious and looked in the direction of Jennifer and
Claire where she thought she might have been welcomed, but the two
girls looked at her with unfriendly eyes. ..then laughed quietly to-
gether which made Darlene even more uncomfortable. She tried however,
to make the best of the situation. In a cheerful voice she said to
Miss Norlander: "I'd like to do a project on my own, really I would,
Miss Norlander." With her teacher's permission, she set to work to
prepare her essay. As she worked she tried to ignore the gossip
around her.