Fawn Forest ISD

She had been eliminated, not fired, banned to another building for speaking her mind. Her worthiness eradicated, torturing her with humiliation and an unfathomable sense of loss. Her body amputated from her mind saved her from spiraling out of control. Foolish to believe she could take on a powerful system and win. Jaylyn was trying to enjoy her well deserved summer after another year of teaching. It had been the year from hell. Should she have challenged the bully, the principal who had transferred from another FFISD school over a year ago? There is always an adjustment period with a new boss but nothing was normal with the bully. She bulldozed her way over the new staff, criticizing them at the first faculty meeting. Chaos, intimidation and harassment were her leadership traits. When Jaylyn overheard the bully screaming at teachers she decided to “fly under the radar” and steer clear. Her butchy, short cropped, cereal bowl haircut, no make-up, abrasive style made her unapproachable. She had a dowdy, functional Wal-Mart fashion style that was laughable, outdated, never fitting properly. Born with too many “Y” chromosomes she towered over six feet in a three hundred plus size stature with a brazen superior attitude intimidating even the school’s own, “Nurse Mildred Ratched.” Jaylyn could always tell when the bully was angry. Her bushy eyebrows would contort, rising when things didn’t go her way. Her choleric face and ears turned blood red magnifying her pointy ears; and when her boisterous voice went to ear-splitting, you were “SOL.” In school kids learn to avoid the school yard bully. Jaylyn averted her bully that first year. I bet she was a bully on the playground always targeting the weaker students. Jaylyn decided. Dodging her in the hallways and ducking into the girls’ restroom, Jaylyn became proficient at bypassing the witch. Not an easy thing to do with the witch’s evil monkeys flying around the building obeying her command to spy on the actions of every teacher. The head monkey, like Nikko in the 1939 classic film, was eager to please the witch. It was vitally important to avoid the witch on days when she was on, “the war path like a scorpion searching for its prey.” Teachers with strong instincts for survival camouflaged themselves from their dangerous predator. Since this was her mode of operation, most days, Jaylyn steered clear and all was good that first year. Jaylyn spent most of her summers vacationing. Trips to Alaska, Canada, England, Switzerland, France, Germany, Liechtenstein, Italy and Greece were some of her most adventurous get a ways. She loved the atmosphere and language of Mexico. Cancun, Guanajuato, Puerto Vallarta, Oaxaca, Acapulco, Leon, San Miguel and Mexico City (nothing like being in Mexico when its team is in the World Cup,) places she envisioned herself living one day. She traveled to various states checking off baseball parks from her bucket list with Yankee Stadium (New York), Chase Field (Arizona), Fenway Park (Boston), Wrigley Field and Cellular Field (Chicago), Turner Field (Atlanta), Candlestick Park (San Francisco), Busch Stadium (St. Louis), Three Rivers Stadium (Pittsburgh), Angel Stadium (Anaheim), Tropicana Field (Tampa Bay), Citizens Bank Park (Philadelphia) and Minute Maid Park (Houston) visited so far. With the poor economy she wasn’t looking forward to a summer without any travel. Why not follow one of her passions? She had dreamed of opening her own bakery, figuring this summer she could devote her time to baking. Enrolling in the culinary arts program at the nearby local community was thrilling. It may not be an Alaskan cruise but she could damn sure learn how to make a baked Alaska.