Quiet Room

   The heating/air-conditioning fan blowers are always on in the school.  This means that there is a perpetual background drone of air movement noise.  The school was originally built to be "open concept" with minimal walls between teaching areas.  To enter my grade 5 classroom one had to go into the grade 6 room and make a quick right through a doorless opening five feet wide, from floor to ceiling.

     This one day I was teaching my class when suddenly the blowers quit.  I stopped mid-sentence and whispered excitedly, "Listen!  It's quiet.  Isn't it wonderful?"  Through the door opening I could hear grade 6 teacher, Carol Parkin, continuing with her lesson.  I bounded through the opening and in a loud stage whisper exclaimed, "Listen!  Listen!  Listen!  It's quiet in here.  It's actually quiet in here, finally!"

     I looked towards the front of the room.  There was Carol, with her right arm extended, frozen mid-word, the chalk in her hand still in contact with the chalkboard.  She was looking over her shoulder at me and almost imperceptibly she gave me the head nod and eye glance signalling, "Uh, look beside you."

     I turned slowly and there sitting at a desk in the very front row was the Principal.  I had burst in on Carol in the midst of her inspection.  It was now my turn to be surprised.  I very slowly finger-waved 'Hi' to the Principal, turned, and in my best William Shatner, I addressed Carol, "Carry on, Mrs. Parkin.  You're doing a fine job," and then left.