That One Moment...

Chapter 2

Day 1, morning - setting the stage

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Period 1: American Lit (Junior homeroom)

The second bell was ringing to mark 7:45, when the 15 minute homeroom period started, as Sarah slid into a desk near the windows. This was really just a bit of extra time before first period for announcements and reminders, as well as any pet projects teachers or the school might have for the year. Sarah wondered what it would be this time - drunk driving, teen sex stats, personal responsibility, drug free campus...the list went on and on...

"Alright class. Welcome to Junior year. As you all should know by now, this will be your homeroom where we go over important information and run through scenarios. This year, the school is focusing on..." There was a slight pause as Mrs. Romero checked her notes. With a slight surprise in her voice she continued with "...online literacy. Wow, not what I was expecting, but this might be more fun and useful than the usual curriculum. Kind of fits in with English as well."

There were a variety of responses, from sighs and groans to slightly excited murmurs. What even was online literacy, Sarah wondered almost aloud. Quickly checking online she found a Wikipedia entry "Digital literacy refers to an individual's ability to find, evaluate, and communicate information through typing and other media on various digital platforms. It is evaluated by an individual's grammar, composition, typing skills and ability to produce text, images, audio and designs using technology." Hmmmm...that's better than another drug free or sex ed module. Maybe she would learn something.

Refocusing back to class and slipping her phone back away, Sarah heard the teacher continuing "Let's see, we have some additional announcements about various clubs and teams that are looking for members. Here is a sheet with some information for those of you that are interested."

Another bell rang.

"Now, let's look at what you will be learning in American Literature this year..."

English was definitely not her favorite subject, so Sarah found her mind wandering to outside. The wind was moving the leaves around on a tree nearby as she heard the teacher discussing what texts they would be reading this year.

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Period 2: Computers II

Students at her school were required to take two years of tech, creatively labelled computers I and II. While they had done typing and basic Office products first year, this year was supposed to delve beyond word processors. Second half was actually basic programming. Sarah had taken Computers I freshman year, so hopefully she wouldn't have to catch up at all to be ready for this one. At least she remembered how to type...

Looking around she saw a few familiar faces from American Lit. One kid, Chris, smiled at her and sat down next to her. He was pretty average, brown hair, brown eyes, a bit short, but pretty tone. He might even play a sport, especially considering he was wearing a school shirt. What was he doing sitting next to her? There were still plenty of open chairs.

"Hey. You're in American Lit too, right?" When she nodded, he continued. "Mind if we partner up when needed, that way we could double dip on homework?"

It was a good plan, Sarah had to admit, but she was a bit nervous about why he would chose her. There were at least two other kids from the last class. Of course, one of them looked to be picking their nose at the moment, which did not bode well for a partner. The other girl from American Lit was staring over at Chris with pretty intense eyes...maybe there was drama there.