The B-Word

1.

“Alright, class, let’s finish up our artwork so we can move on to snack time,” Ms. Johnson says. “We need to finish if you want to have time for show and tell.”

I keep talking to my friends and show them my artwork. I painted a picture of my house and my dog. My mom is going to hang it on the fridge at home, I think. Richard painted a scary bear, and Stacy painted flowers.

Sometimes, we write swear words on our art projects and then paint over them so Ms. Johnson can’t see. One time, she caught Richard writing swear words, took it from him and ripped it up. I think he wrote ‘ass’ and then tried to cover it up with a huge tree. It was the maddest Ms. Johnson has been all year. He still writes things like that though, he just doesn’t get caught.

I have a lot of friends in my kindergarten class. Ms. Johnson gets mad at us for talking when she is. At the beginning of the year she was really nice to us, but now she isn’t as much. Sometimes, the principal walks in and she gets really nice, all of a sudden. We think she likes him as more than a friend, and that’s why she gets so happy.

“Sit down in your seats so we can get started,” she says, but louder this time. I think she’s starting to get angry at us again.

Everybody keeps talking. Stacy shows me her little music keyboard she brought in for show and tell. Richard says he has one just like it at home. He always has what everybody else brings in at his house.

“Stop talking.” Ms. Johnson starts to turn red. Her eyebrows squint as if she can’t see very well. She mumbled something about juvenile delinquents, whatever that means. I don’t think she knew I could hear her. She looks at David and says nicely, “Thank you, David, for listening.”

Nobody is paying attention, and the class keeps talking. Everyone’s artwork is still out on the tables, and no one has put away the paint yet. I reach into my desk and grab my snack: the round crackers with the cheese in the middle.

“Did you bring candy for everyone?” Stacy asks as I pull one of those giant bags filled with little bags of M&M’s. “Is it your birthday?”

“It was yesterday,” I tell her as I put another cracker with cheese in my mouth. “And I brought my new super cool Ninja Turtle Dinosaur and my Caveman Michaelangelo Ninja Turtle. He comes with a big club!”

“Sit down and be quiet! Now!” Ms. Johnson yells at us. “We are not having snack time because you guys can’t listen!”

“Wow, what a B-word,” Richard whispers so only Stacy and I can hear. I cover my mouth with my hand so she can’t hear me laugh.

“Do you have something to say?” She asks me. I feel scared, and I think my friends all do too.

“It was my birthday yesterday, and my mom gave me these M&M’s to share with the class,” I say and hold up the bag. “There’s enough for everybody to have two packs each.”

“We aren’t having snacks today, I already told you,” she says while making a mean face.

“OK,” I say, then begin to ask. “But, Ms. Johnson?”

“What?” She snaps back at me the way my older neighbor Ashley talks back to her mom. I hear them all ‌the time when the windows are open. Ashley told me one time that she had Ms. Johnson as a teacher, too. She said Ms. Johnson sucks, but I don’t use that word. My mom says I shouldn’t say that.

I answer quietly. “I brought my new Michelangelo Ninja Turtles Caveman and his Ninja Turtle Triceratops dinosaur that I got for my birthday to show everyone at show and tell today.”

“David already asked to do show and tell, so you will have to do yours a different day,” Ms. Johnson says.

“I thought birthdays get to show and tell?” Stacy asks.

“Not today. He can do it on a different day.”

I agree with Richard thinking she’s a B-word. She only likes David and lets him do whatever he wants. I don’t like it when she yells at us. I sneak Stacy and Richard some of the M&M’s and make sure Ms. Johnson can’t see. I think we are good kids. I’m not sure why she yells at us. We are even nice to Tommy and he eats boogers sometimes.

2.

I feel sad on the bus ride home. Birthdays are fun and exciting. I don’t know why Ms. Johnson didn’t want us to celebrate my birthday. Other kids got to celebrate their birthdays. Stacy says she likes my new Ninja Turtles, and that she is excited for M&M’s tomorrow, if Ms. Johnson lets us eat them.

“Did everyone like your show and tell?” My mom asks when I walk in the door. I throw my backpack on the chair in the dining room and take the Ninja Turtles and a little bag of M&M’s out of it.

“Ms. Johnson said I have to do it on a different day. Today she said it’s David’s turn.”

“Oh, I see,” she says as she walks by me. “Why are the M&M’s still in your backpack?”

“Ms. Johnson said we couldn’t have them because we weren’t listening. She didn’t let us have snack time at all.”

My mom looks surprised and turns away. “Are you serious?” she asks.

“Yes,” I say.

“Who would do that? It’s kindergarten.”

“She’s not very nice,” I say. “She’s only nice to David.”

“Well, that’s not good.”

“Yeah.”

“Yeah,” I say. “Maybe tomorrow I can share my M&M’s and do show and tell.”

“I hope so,” she says. Then, I hear her say to herself, “Wow, what a bitch.”

I know she didn’t think I could hear her, but I could loud and clear. I agree with her, take another little pack of M&M’s and set up my Ninja Turtles. I think I’m going to hide the word ‘bitch’ on my next art project, it’s a good swear word.