Master Class

A short story

Photo by Ivan Aleksic on Unsplash

Children are young adults in training. So, instead of attempting to shelter them from the ways of the world, we need to properly prepare them. In fact, proper preparation is protection.-Henery X

Master Class

Henery X, 2025 ©

Fredrick King was a fourth through sixth grade teacher. He loved the youth, whom he regarded as not only the saviors of the future, but of the present as well.

“Greetings, ladies and gentlemen,” Fredrick said cheerfully.

“Greetings, Mr. King,” the students said in unison.

“I have a question for you all. What do you want to be?”

All the students began saying different things at the same time. Fredrick smiled.

“One at a time. One at a time, please. We’ll begin in the front, and work our way to the back.”

One by one the students said what they wanted to be. After the last student was done, Fredrick clapped.

“Excellent. Now, did any of you notice I left off when you grow up?”

After a long pause because of contemplation, the students voiced a yes.

“Does anyone know why I left that part out?”

“No, Mr. King,” all the students said in unison.

“I left it off because I want you to start preparing now. As most of you grow older, your minds will change. What you want to be now may not be what you want to be later. So, it’s good to test the waters as early as possible. Because participating in your desired craft early will give you a significant advantage later.”

“Did you always want to be a teacher, Mr. King?” A young boy asked.

“I did, Kevin. My motivation was my mother. She was my and my siblings’ first teacher. She taught us how to read, write, and do basic arithmetic before we ever entered an official classroom. And she loved every second of it, despite the fact she wasn’t getting paid. It was her love for what she was doing that made me want to do it as well.”

“Wow. That’s a great story, Mr. King,” a young girl said.

“Thank you, Katy. My beloved children. Whatever you decide to do in life, ensure you love doing it. Don’t be motivated by money. Not saying money shouldn’t be a factor, but that it shouldn’t be the only or primary factor. I love being a teacher because it allows me to help others to be better.”

“I think I can speak for the entire class when I say, we appreciate you Mr. King,” a young boy said.

The students rose to their feet and began clapping.

“I love all of you. You all show up every day and give your best efforts. It’s because of students such as yourselves, that I’m glad I became a teacher. And let me say, all of you have taught me so much. And not just through what you have said, but what you have done as well. I’m a student first and foremost, this is how I’m able to be an effective teacher. You all have shown me how to go about educating you properly.”

“You’re never too old to learn something new, huh, Mr. King?” Katy said cheerfully.

“Absolutely, Katy. A person who thinks they know it all, truly knows nothing at all. Nothing ever remains the same, especially our knowledge. What we know today can change tomorrow, and if we’re not properly prepared for such change, we will get left behind.”

The students began clapping.

“Now, let’s discuss these wants you all want to be, and why they mean so much to you.”

The End.

Remember. I’m not here to convince you to believe. I’m here to offer you something else to consider.

Telling other people what we’re going to do is putting our word on the line. This gives us added incentive to do what we said we’re going to do. But if we don’t do it, our word will become questionable. And we should never want people to question our word.-Henery X