I taught second grade, which meant that virtually all of the parents wandering around my classroom for Back to School Night were, like me, not much older than thirty. The exception was the elderly couple who’d just entered the room and hovered uneasily inside the open door; I guessed they were both at least seventy. The woman held her hands in front of her and stared up at some pictures on the big bulletin board beside her; the man gazed about him with a tiny grimace. Most of the parents were at their children’s desks where work samples from the first couple weeks of school were displayed. I greeted several of them as I made my way back to the classroom door.
When I got there, the old man’s eyes met mine. I smiled and said, “Good evening.” Continue reading “William Cass: The Best We Can”