30/08/2024
As the new teacher entered the classroom, the students didn’t even think it was their teacher. He was short, had a slight stoop, his face seemed young and as white as a sheet. He didn’t look much older than his six graders. His thick glasses concealed his age even more. Even his voice reminded the young boys of one of their friends, running around the school during the break time. All this made the students not respect him as they would a real teacher. As he was reading students’ names from the class diary, someone kept trying imitating his voice, meowing like a cat and everyone was laughing. The teacher had understood his shortcomings a long time ago, and didn’t take it to heart. As he finished reading their names, he introduced himself.
‘My name’s Saulius Lapėnas, and I will be your Lithuanian language and literature teacher. I will teach you how to write and talk properly, none of this meowing, although the meowing was, indeed, funny.’
The class laughed.
Ričardas Kalytis, The Willow Roses, 2022.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Willow-Roses
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Happy 1 September, the official ‘Back to School’ day!
