The Teaching Assistant

Chapter 13
The Teaching Assistant, Part Thirteen

Part Thirteen

Though Ms. Song had more or less wrapped up the overview of what Amelia’s first week of academics would look like, it still took another ten minutes for the meeting to conclude. 

By the end of it, Amelia suspected that the purpose of the extra time was mostly to condition her to have the kind of proper manners expected of the academy’s students. The amount of times she had to politely reply “Yes, Ms. Song” or “No, Ms. Song” to a pointed question was getting a little frustrating. Amelia was a grown ass woman, yet she was being treated like a young teenager by everyone she encountered so far. 

It was Sunk Cost Fallacy at its finest. She had already made it so far in the meeting with Ms. Song, and blowing up in exasperation would only serve to make her look bad. Teachers were supposed to be able to play it cool, even when their students made a point to needle them, disrupt class, show blatant disrespect, and so on. Amelia could see how this could be another test, in a roundabout way. If she could survive such a patronizing ordeal while keeping it together, then surely she could do the same around difficult academy girls. 

“Finally, there’s a matter of selecting an extracurricular class,” Ms. Song said, “Your cousin suggested our Visual Arts program for you. You’re more the artistic type, yes?”

Well, not necessarily. Back before university, Amelia just made a point to take a few artsy classes to pad her otherwise academic application. So her perfect grades were being ignored, but this part of her form was being taken at face value? Go figure. Out of a habit that was already beginning to form, she was about to reply with ‘No, Ms. Song,’ followed by a brief explanation as to where her actual non-academic interests lay. Just before Amelia spoke, however, she registered something else. “My cousin?”

“Yes, Millie. Is Visual Arts suitable for you, or would you rather discuss other options?”

“Umm . . .” she trailed off. 

Her cousin? Thinking back to the last page of her registration form, Amelia eliminated that possibility immediately. She hadn’t spoken to her overly controlling parents in years, and her extended family wasn’t much better. The two names she put down for her ‘Emergency Contacts’ were friends from university that she knew lived in the city. There were definitely no relatives she would have listed anywhere, which meant that this was just another part of the act?

Either way, she was determined to get this charade over with sooner rather than later. Once she was officially hired on as a teacher, she could peruse all the extracurricular options available to the girls. Going through them with an overly strict advisor, while dressed as a schoolgirl? No, thanks. “Visual Arts sounds great, Ms. Song,” she said. Anything to progress things and get this all over with. At the end of the day, it’s not like her selection would matter. 

Amelia had to awkwardly sit in silence as the woman sorted things out with the files on her desk. A few things were marked on the physical copies, and subsequently entered on the computer right afterwards. Trying to be patient, and still assuming that every part of her day was a test in one way or another, Amelia did her best to sit still and avoid fidgeting. Normally that would be an easier task, but the unfamiliar outfit made it difficult to avoid fussing with her clothes. The biggest temptation was to bend over and make an attempt to adjust the tight flats, but she decided to wait until she had either had some privacy or at least a moment where no one’s eyes were on her. 

After what felt like an eternity, but was really only a few minutes based on the wall clock off to her left, Ms. Song finished things off with an emphatic tap of the Return key, followed by a single hit of Amelia’s physical files on the desk to straighten them out. Now could she break character? At least for a moment, so Amelia could have a chance to breathe? 

“You’re all set, Millie. While the main office sorts out your schedule, you’ll be given a brief tour of the campus. Ashley volunteered to show you around, and I’m sure she’d be willing to help with your luggage.”

So much for breathing. 

“My luggage?”

“Ah, are your things being shipped?”

“What things?” Amelia asked. For a moment, she was totally lost. Parroting Ms. Song’s words back in question form, it finally clicked into place when the woman gave her a peculiar look. Right. It was a boarding school. And, if Amelia was supposed to be a new student, then she would be staying in one of the Westridge dorms. “Oh, umm, right. Sorry, Ms. Song. Yes, my luggage is still on the way.”

“Well, as long as you have enough for a few days. The office should have all the tracking info, and will keep you informed as to when the remainder of your possessions will arrive. Now, before you get started on your tour, do you have any more questions for me? I’ll be your advisor for the duration of your intermediate education here, and will be checking in with you over the next few weeks as you make the transition from your old school.”

As badly as Amelia wanted to ask if they could just speak candidly for a moment, she just wanted to move on to the rest of her day. So, with a small shake of her head, she said, “No, Ms. Song. Thank you for your time.”

“You’re quite welcome, Millie. Do you need an escort back to the main doors, or can you find your way there?”

“I can find my way,” Amelia said. Tired of pushing for her real name, she at least wanted her future colleague to know that she didn’t need help with directions. In truth, the numerous turns made her skeptical about whether or not she’d be able to make it back to the front of the building on her first try, but she’d rather backtrack once or twice than need a babysitter. 

“Very well. Ashley will have been paged by now, so you should get going. Welcome to Westridge, and I wish you excellence in your endeavors here.”

“Thank you, Ms. Song.”

With an awkward nod, Amelia left the office. 

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