Post by eli cameron perrish on Nov 19, 2014 13:52:24 GMT -5
ELI C. PERRISH
TWENTY- FOUR - MATHS TEACHER - LOCAL - TYLER JOSEPH
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The breeze rolling in shook the ghosts of the dying night's thunderstorm off of the skeletons they clung to. The raindrops landed and were absorbed by the chilled earth. The tree branches shuddered, swaying with the growing winds, and shedding their leaves. Eli was laying with his nose pointed toward the receding stars. It was as if the moon was scooping them away, so the day could shine on. An involuntary shudder raced down his spine, but his eyes remained fixed. Off in the distance he could hear his brother's voice. The pitch was slightly different, raised in building panic. He was calling their dog's name. As a result, a twinge of sadness disturbed Eli's insides. He loved their dog very much, but last night's storm had been unkind. He crossed his fingers, closed his eyes, hoping he would hear a sudden change in his brother's voice; that a mixture of excitement and exhausted relief would travel up the hill and settle in his ears instead.
He opened his eyes.
There was no change in his brother's voice, but the sight that unraveled in front of him caused him to sit bolt upright. His eyes were stretched wide with surprise that was not at all unpleasant. 'Charlie!' Eli cried, although not loud enough for his brother to hear. He suddenly became fidgety, aware of the soaked earth clinging to his back. Charlie's appearance always trumped his own, but he didn't think that she knew that.
'Hello, Eli. You're up early,' she began, sitting down next to him and tucking her golden hair behind her ear - these timid traits were only expressed when she was around him. Eli never noticed. 'I hear that your brother is looking for Getzen. He got out after the storm, I hope?'
Eli could only offer a mournful shrug, 'I hope so too, but I think he might of got out before it. If that dog is hurt, I don't know what he'll do,' he gestured with his head toward the fading cries of his brother, adding, 'I don't know what I'll do,' after a moment's pause.
Charlie nodded sympathetically. She knew what it was like to lose a pet. She also knew what it was like to lose a pet and not have anyone understand how upsetting that could be. 'They're just animals after all,' people would say. It was ridiculous. So, without really thinking about it, but meaning every moment, she reached for Eli's hand with surprisingly gentle fingers. She felt him tense as they intertwined with his own, but only for a moment. He relaxed completely, and after a few heartbeats, rested his head on her shoulder.
Several years later, on that same hill, but on a warmer dawn, they were perfect replicas of their younger selves. His head was on her shoulder once again, but they were both bigger now. Charlie's golden hair had turned redder over the years, but her glow had never been more lovely to Eli in the rosy light. The silence wasn't empty. The sounds of morning stirred the air, but they were quiet and soft. Eli's voice sounded different when he finally spoke, and it stood out, 'Do you think we'll last after we graduate?' His voice was small. Everyone told him that first relationships were never meant to be. They would say that she would grow restless. The people in his neighborhood said that they were young, there was no way he would be happy with her for the rest of his life. Eli couldn't believe that was true. He didn't want it to be true.
'I think that...you've been listening to what other people are gossiping about,' even without seeing her face, he knew that playful smirk was etched in her lips. He knew her so well. He would never want to give that up, or give her up. But her playfulness wasn't what he needed right now. 'Charlie, remember when I told you that I didn't know what I would do without him? That night we thought we lost Gretzen? We were on this hill and-'
'-and it was just after that huge storm, yes. Why?'
'Well, I wouldn't know what to do if I ever lost you.'
He had hoped that would have made her realize how much he loved her, that would be romantic in the summer morning. He was slightly surprised when she remained silent. Was that the wrong thing to say? But she squeezed his hand reassuringly, and rested her chin on his head. 'Eli, you have your heart in the right place. But you worry too much. Don't worry about tomorrow. Enjoy right now, and know that, wether we're young or ancient, I love you right now. Our now can be forever. This,' she gestured toward the sunrise with her head, 'will always remain in our memories, which will last as long as we live if we want it to. You're stressed right now. We're about to graduate high school and we have to start being adults now. We can do that together. Don't decide what we will become. We'll get to wherever we're going.'
Eli smiled, and although her words and her voice comforted him, he felt slightly amused. Charlie loved to talk, indeed. But a simple 'I love you too, would have been enough. But she always ended up being his voice of reason.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
'You're gonna do fine, hey hey, look at me. Eli, this job was meant for you. Think about how hard you want this, everything you worked for while you were in college!' Eli's brother was only a few feet in front of him. His hands were outstretched, a halting gesture. Eli's puffy eyes were stained with dark shadows.
'Everything I worked for in college was for them,' the words that came out were shredded by his gritted teeth. The bitterness caused his brother to recoil. He would have challenged Eli, would have asked them if he meant nothing to him. But he didn't need to. Eli needed him now more than ever. 'Charlie wouldn't want you to throw your entire life away, not now. Eli - don't you dare. You need to think about what you're doing. Your whole life is changing. Make it something, for her. For both of them,' he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He had moved out to New York six months after Eli and his family did, which was now almost a year ago, 'for me.'
Perhaps they did get together too early. They were too young, because now Eli had to spend the rest of his life without her, and he had a feeling that the rest of his life would feel like forever.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
1. What is your philosophy on teaching?
Ever since I was a young student myself, I always believed that we're all teachers. Some of us are observers, some of us are mentors, and some of us are creators. It doesn't matter what kind of person you are or who you want to be, at some point in our lives, we have all taught someone something. Some of us just don't realize that, and some of us know how to harness this and spread it around to others. Teaching is just as important as learning is, and we all learn the most when we teach.
2. What is the biggest challenge in teaching?
I think it's trying to keep the students motivated. I think the hardest part is dealing with the helplessness that can come along with being a teacher. There are some things that we just can't do, and its hard to watch a student with so much potential but not enough motivation fail.
3. Describe what you think the difference is between a good teacher and an outstanding teacher.
I think a good teacher does what they can to get through the day. They do exactly what their lesson plans say and follow their own rigid lines. I think an outstanding teacher allows room for those lines to bend. Not so much that they break, but enough to keep themselves and the students as comfortable and productive as possible.
4. Do you want students to like you? Why or why not?
Of course I do. I think that it's human nature to want people to like you. However, I am not going to go out of my way to get them to like me. It is incredibly hard for the teacher/student relationship to function sometimes, because there is little to no room for a friendship. I want them to like me as a teacher before I want them to like me as a person.
He opened his eyes.
There was no change in his brother's voice, but the sight that unraveled in front of him caused him to sit bolt upright. His eyes were stretched wide with surprise that was not at all unpleasant. 'Charlie!' Eli cried, although not loud enough for his brother to hear. He suddenly became fidgety, aware of the soaked earth clinging to his back. Charlie's appearance always trumped his own, but he didn't think that she knew that.
'Hello, Eli. You're up early,' she began, sitting down next to him and tucking her golden hair behind her ear - these timid traits were only expressed when she was around him. Eli never noticed. 'I hear that your brother is looking for Getzen. He got out after the storm, I hope?'
Eli could only offer a mournful shrug, 'I hope so too, but I think he might of got out before it. If that dog is hurt, I don't know what he'll do,' he gestured with his head toward the fading cries of his brother, adding, 'I don't know what I'll do,' after a moment's pause.
Charlie nodded sympathetically. She knew what it was like to lose a pet. She also knew what it was like to lose a pet and not have anyone understand how upsetting that could be. 'They're just animals after all,' people would say. It was ridiculous. So, without really thinking about it, but meaning every moment, she reached for Eli's hand with surprisingly gentle fingers. She felt him tense as they intertwined with his own, but only for a moment. He relaxed completely, and after a few heartbeats, rested his head on her shoulder.
Several years later, on that same hill, but on a warmer dawn, they were perfect replicas of their younger selves. His head was on her shoulder once again, but they were both bigger now. Charlie's golden hair had turned redder over the years, but her glow had never been more lovely to Eli in the rosy light. The silence wasn't empty. The sounds of morning stirred the air, but they were quiet and soft. Eli's voice sounded different when he finally spoke, and it stood out, 'Do you think we'll last after we graduate?' His voice was small. Everyone told him that first relationships were never meant to be. They would say that she would grow restless. The people in his neighborhood said that they were young, there was no way he would be happy with her for the rest of his life. Eli couldn't believe that was true. He didn't want it to be true.
'I think that...you've been listening to what other people are gossiping about,' even without seeing her face, he knew that playful smirk was etched in her lips. He knew her so well. He would never want to give that up, or give her up. But her playfulness wasn't what he needed right now. 'Charlie, remember when I told you that I didn't know what I would do without him? That night we thought we lost Gretzen? We were on this hill and-'
'-and it was just after that huge storm, yes. Why?'
'Well, I wouldn't know what to do if I ever lost you.'
He had hoped that would have made her realize how much he loved her, that would be romantic in the summer morning. He was slightly surprised when she remained silent. Was that the wrong thing to say? But she squeezed his hand reassuringly, and rested her chin on his head. 'Eli, you have your heart in the right place. But you worry too much. Don't worry about tomorrow. Enjoy right now, and know that, wether we're young or ancient, I love you right now. Our now can be forever. This,' she gestured toward the sunrise with her head, 'will always remain in our memories, which will last as long as we live if we want it to. You're stressed right now. We're about to graduate high school and we have to start being adults now. We can do that together. Don't decide what we will become. We'll get to wherever we're going.'
Eli smiled, and although her words and her voice comforted him, he felt slightly amused. Charlie loved to talk, indeed. But a simple 'I love you too, would have been enough. But she always ended up being his voice of reason.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
'You're gonna do fine, hey hey, look at me. Eli, this job was meant for you. Think about how hard you want this, everything you worked for while you were in college!' Eli's brother was only a few feet in front of him. His hands were outstretched, a halting gesture. Eli's puffy eyes were stained with dark shadows.
'Everything I worked for in college was for them,' the words that came out were shredded by his gritted teeth. The bitterness caused his brother to recoil. He would have challenged Eli, would have asked them if he meant nothing to him. But he didn't need to. Eli needed him now more than ever. 'Charlie wouldn't want you to throw your entire life away, not now. Eli - don't you dare. You need to think about what you're doing. Your whole life is changing. Make it something, for her. For both of them,' he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He had moved out to New York six months after Eli and his family did, which was now almost a year ago, 'for me.'
Perhaps they did get together too early. They were too young, because now Eli had to spend the rest of his life without her, and he had a feeling that the rest of his life would feel like forever.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
1. What is your philosophy on teaching?
Ever since I was a young student myself, I always believed that we're all teachers. Some of us are observers, some of us are mentors, and some of us are creators. It doesn't matter what kind of person you are or who you want to be, at some point in our lives, we have all taught someone something. Some of us just don't realize that, and some of us know how to harness this and spread it around to others. Teaching is just as important as learning is, and we all learn the most when we teach.
2. What is the biggest challenge in teaching?
I think it's trying to keep the students motivated. I think the hardest part is dealing with the helplessness that can come along with being a teacher. There are some things that we just can't do, and its hard to watch a student with so much potential but not enough motivation fail.
3. Describe what you think the difference is between a good teacher and an outstanding teacher.
I think a good teacher does what they can to get through the day. They do exactly what their lesson plans say and follow their own rigid lines. I think an outstanding teacher allows room for those lines to bend. Not so much that they break, but enough to keep themselves and the students as comfortable and productive as possible.
4. Do you want students to like you? Why or why not?
Of course I do. I think that it's human nature to want people to like you. However, I am not going to go out of my way to get them to like me. It is incredibly hard for the teacher/student relationship to function sometimes, because there is little to no room for a friendship. I want them to like me as a teacher before I want them to like me as a person.
ghost |-/ - AZ MOUNTAIN - COMING SOON
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