My new friends at the Trifecta Writing Challenge issue a weekly call to arms centered around (surprise!) the number three. This week involves the third definition of the word "scandal", and must be between 33 and 333 words. My story is called "Motherfucker".
The young woman in the modest blue dress, pearls, and low heels was used to public speaking, being a teacher. But she didn't speak before groups of adults like this, so her voice wavered a little bit as she began.
"Ladies and gentlemen of the school board, I was told that you wanted me to appear before you in order to address the issue of certain reading material I assigned. I appreciate the gravity of this situation. I am your employee, and you can discharge me at will, a possibility that is not far from my mind. But I am also an educator, and I would rather be unemployed and in possession of my scruples than continue to work for you and destroy an ideal I hold very dear."
"I am told a member of this board objected to a book I chose for your children to read because it contains a certain word. It is not a pleasant word, and not one I choose to use regularly. But it is a word that is chosen because the book contains descriptions of soldiers, and it is a word that soldiers use. It is a word I have used in the past, and it is a word I can guarantee you everyone in this room has used. And it is a word, sadly, our students use."
"That word, ladies and gentlemen, is motherfucker."
"You pay me to educate your children, and that is something I take very seriously. I expose them to different ideas and ways of thinking, and thus prepare them to be good citizens, and, hopefully, gentler and less warlike than my generation and yours has been. Sometimes that involves them learning something unpleasant. I show them these parts of life not for any prurient thrill, but because I am not doing my job if I don't."
"In short, the only scandal here is the presence of closed minded idiots in the educational process."
"Thank you."
Bravo, Michael. Love your teacher character and her bravery resonates with me, as a homeschooler. As a person who writes national and state tests, I can tell you that even words like "chess" and "computers" can't be used, let alone good old "motherfucker". Snicker.
ReplyDeleteGreat speech! And great title for a short story. Thanks for linking up. Hope you can join us for the weekend prompt which is already up on the site. It's community judging this weekend, so get your entry in and get voting!
ReplyDeletei fear that they don't give a motherfuck and are gonna fire her anyway.
ReplyDeleteand also, you could write about any motherfucking thing and make it brilliant.