Chapter 1
My daughter Lily Walsh locked herself in her room, sobbing until her whole body shook.
I pried open the door to find her clutching a test paper that had been torn apart and pieced back
together.
It was an Advanced Mathematics Competition qualifying tournament paper–perfect answers, but a glaring zero marked in red.
“Mommy,” she cried, “the teacher said 3×5 doesn’t equal 5×3, that it was cheating. She tore up my paper in front of everyone, canceled my qualification, and told the whole class not to talk to me
anymore…”
I stared at the deep red scratch mark on my daughter’s wrist and picked up the phone to call the principal directly.
“I have just one question–what benefit does driving a math–loving child to despair bring to your school’s reputation?”
The phone was hung up, leaving only the dial tone buzzing in my ear.
Lily’s sobbing stopped. She just looked at me, her eyes hollow and empty.
I helped her put on her coat, took her ice–cold hand, and headed straight to the school.
When I pushed open the Advanced Mathematics Competition office door, the laughter inside came
to an abrupt halt.
Several teachers turned their gazes toward us. Linda Williams was leaning back in her chair, looking me up and down with a dismissive twist of her lips. “Which parent are you? It’s break time
right now.”
Without a word, I walked to her desk and slammed the pieced–together test paper in front of her.
The fragments scattered across the table.
That red “o” looked particularly glaring under the fluorescent lights.
She let out a snort of laughter, picking up one of the pieces with two fingers and holding it up to her face. “Oh, this? What, do you have a problem with my grading?”
“Does 3 times 5 equal 15? Does 5 times 3 equal 15?” I stared into her eyes as I asked.
Chapter 1
0.82%
D
Wanna watch the rest of “Office Girl“? Download Drama Pops and watch the re….
Download
“Of course they do.” She tossed the paper fragment back onto the desk. “But the problem–solving approach was wrong, so it’s zero points! I teach Advanced Mathematics Competition–logical rigor! Not grocery store arithmetic! If she doesn’t follow the rules in solving problems today, what else won’t she follow rules for tomorrow? I tore up that paper to show her and the entire class what
rules mean!”
She shot up from her chair, towering over me as her voice suddenly escalated. “I’ve seen plenty of
parents like you! You know just enough to be dangerous, then dare to interfere with professional
teaching! Children are corrupted by people like you! Lazy thinking, taking shortcuts–all learned at
home! Now that there’s a problem with your child, you have the nerve to come to school and make a scene?!”
With each word, she jabbed her finger at the desk, spittle flying onto my face.
Behind me, Lily trembled even harder, her small hands desperately clutching my coat.
“Say that again,” I glared at her with wide eyes, my voice a roar.
“So what if I say it again?” She stepped forward, almost bumping into me. “I’m saying you don’t
know how to raise a child! You treat your kid like a trophy to show off, using all sorts of
underhanded methods to push her into this and that. Now you come here questioning the teacher?
You’re nothing but a troublemaker in education! Get out of here! Stop embarrassing yourself!”
I looked into her eyes, speaking each word deliberately, “Linda, you tore up her perfect paper in
front of the entire class, incited the whole class to isolate her, even physically grabbed and hurt her, abusing her. Now, in front of her, you’re using the filthiest language to insult her mother.”
I paused, then said clearly, “As a teacher, are you even qualified?”
“Abuse?” She acted as if she’d heard the joke of the century, scoffing. “A teacher disciplining a student who made mistakes—isn’t that perfectly natural? It looks like your daughter’s lack of
discipline comes from being spoiled by you!”
With that, she actually walked around the desk and reached out to grab Lily’s wrist. “Come here, I’ll
‘educate‘ her properly in front of you today, let her know what’s right and wrong!”
I yanked Lily behind me, using my own body as a shield in front of her.
Linda grabbed at empty air, her fury escalating. “Get out of my way! Don’t interfere with my
disciplining of students! You educational troublemaker! Go home! Stop making a fool of yourself
here!”
Chapter 1
0.82%
Her face flushed red with anger as she raised her hand.
“Stop!” an angry shout came from the doorway.
Principal Richardson walked in with a grim expression, glaring harshly at Linda, who stiffly
lowered her hand.
He turned to me, his tone becoming controlled. “Ma’am, please come to my office to discuss this.”
