Post by angela on Oct 19, 2012 21:54:39 GMT -5
Claudia had spent the better part of the morning looking through new student files and listening to her colleagues complain about their jobs. She had considered quitting more than once and going back to school, but she never did. And she never admitted that she wanted to quit. Everyone had those moments. She inhaled deeply as she flipped through the pages of a file. This girl was from Texas. She had lost her mother a few years ago to cancer. She lived with her aunt. And now she was showing signs of misbehavior--or more appropriately, acting out. Claudia looked at her picture paper clipped to the top right corner of the sheet. She had dark hair and medium brown eyes. She seemed nice enough, just a little troubled. The counselor had gotten used to looking at pictures and making assumptions. She never let those assumptions cloud her judgment of the students she counseled; she just didn't like going in blind. With a heavy sigh, she slipped her feet into the five-inch stilettos under her desk and stood to her feet. Not even five minutes later, she was asking the mathematics teacher if she could see a girl by the name of Melody Marguerite. The teacher complied and the girl gathered her things and stepped out of the room.
The counselor did not expect to be greeted with a smile. She was agitated, the woman could tell. But she offered a smile like she always did whenever she spoke to her students.
"Hi," she said. "I'm Claudia Domínguez, one of the counselors--your counselor. I just wanted to introduce myself and welcome you to the school. And... if you have any questions about classes or just need to chat, my office is on the fourth floor." She nodded her head and brushed her curls from her face. There was more to it than that, as the girl probably already knew. She did not plan to ask questions about the girl's home life, or about her mother. She just wanted to test the waters and evaluate where she was mentally, now that she was at this new school.
The counselor did not expect to be greeted with a smile. She was agitated, the woman could tell. But she offered a smile like she always did whenever she spoke to her students.
"Hi," she said. "I'm Claudia Domínguez, one of the counselors--your counselor. I just wanted to introduce myself and welcome you to the school. And... if you have any questions about classes or just need to chat, my office is on the fourth floor." She nodded her head and brushed her curls from her face. There was more to it than that, as the girl probably already knew. She did not plan to ask questions about the girl's home life, or about her mother. She just wanted to test the waters and evaluate where she was mentally, now that she was at this new school.