(Edited more thoroughly -- but I still need an editor!)
*
Jessie walked from the staff room feeling confident. The teachers tried to make her nervous about the new class she was to teach but it didn't cut any ice with her. At every school she had been assigned to, the teachers had tried to put her and the other student teachers off.
She had an advantage this time. A fellow student teacher had been there last week and gave her the low-down on the class, so she knew this would be an easy week. Everyone was eighteen and just waiting to finish the term in two weeks. Her friend said they would all settle down even without her presence. She was just there while they revised and so she might not even have to teach. "This is going to be a piece of cake," she laughed.
She sat at the head of an empty classroom refreshing her memory over school rules and the time table while waiting for them to arrive.
The first student rolled in chewing gum and sat down looking bored. Jessie smiled then buried her head in a notebook revising for her own exams. She needed just this week and one exam to pass the course. Following that was the onerous task of finding a teaching post.
As they filed in it was obvious her friend was right. They were quiet and seemed ready, if not eager, to get on with studying for they only had a few weeks to go and just needed to stay out of trouble.
The low buzz of conversation was silenced by Jessie clearing her throat and calling for attention. "As I understand it you all have assigned work. You're not going to classes but will remain here all day; is that right? I'll be here if you need help," she said with a smile. She looked around the classroom seeing a bored, 'can't wait for end of term', bunch of students.
The guys had already checked her out and liked what they saw. She was a petite five-foot-five with a perfect hour glass figure. Most of the girls were taller but they didn't have her curvaceous body, except Melisa but she didn't count. Anyone could see Melisa's large breasts for a joint or a ride home.
"OK. If you need me for anything just let me know," she said. The young guys murmured indecent proposals to that statement but she pretended not to hear. Her face reddened a little and she wondered what she might do if they became too obvious with such rude remarks. She hated confrontation and would do anything to avoid it. Thankfully she had been right to ignore them as everyone quickly settled down.
In the last school a rather large football player had made an obvious pass at her in front of the whole class. There was an awkward moment of silence and she felt everyone looking at her expectantly. She made a mime of receiving the ball and turning it into a joke. The young guy gave her a big smile and the rest of the class went along with it. They too settled down, as she had evidently won them around, even though they had to sit through a particularly boring lesson.
It was well before lunch when the class became agitated but she couldn't see what was happening. It might have been a note circulating or some gossip designed to antagonise one of them. Whatever it was she needed to nip it in the bud before they got out of hand for they were obviously bored and in need of a distraction.
She stood up and asked for their attention. "Has anyone practised interview techniques, for university or work placements?" she asked.
"That might be something useful to do as a break from studying. My guess is you need one," she said. When they laughed politely she was pleased with the reaction.
"Who wants to role play in front of the class? Any budding actors or actresses?" she asked. Having the students squirming from the idea of performing put them onto the wrong foot and defused the earlier rising agitation. She again felt confidently in-charge of the class.
A volunteer put her hand up. "OK, Jenny, I'll interview you for a college placement," she told the girl. In front of the class she interviewed her but despite being in the drama group Jenny didn't do too well. "Not bad but you need to remember they don't know you and may be tired and bored from interviewing other applicants," she said, to the whole class, not just her.
"Why don't you interview me and I'll show you what I mean," she said, trying to be helpful.
Jessie stood at the door waiting for Jenny to prepare herself. The girl smiled nervously at her so she walked across the front of the class and sat at one of the desks.
"Its not right miss you don't look like a student, you're even too well dressed for a teacher," she complained. "You need to get into the role," the young, would be actress, explained.
The others joined in playfully teasing her. She was wearing a smart business suit with high heels and had done so since starting the training course. Her smooth complexion and long hair left her looking too young to be a teacher, even a student teacher, so she dressed older, maybe too frumpy.
"OK! OK! Quiet, I give in," she laughed. At least they seemed keen to join in this lesson. She had always worried about controlling a class, for she was more of a follower than a leader, yet the last few weeks had passed without mishap. It seemed she would pass the test with full marks when the teaching examiner decided to turn up.
Jessie slipped off the jacket to hang it on the back of a chair. Slipping out of the high heels was a relief. She hated them but needed the extra few inches of height. She slipped a hand into her hair to loosen it a bit but it fell down over a shoulder. Meaning to pull it back under control the class convinced her to leave it and to pull the pins out all together.
"That's nice miss you should wear it like that all the time," Melisa told her. "Here, let me help. If you want to be a student you shouldn't be so formal, we aren't in the army you know," the large young woman cajoled Jessie.
A few in the class groaned wondering what the girl was going to do knowing Melisa had little sense of propriety. Her heart was in the right place but she had been looking after her family for some years, since her mother died. It meant she tended to mother everyone, not always in a way expected or welcomed.
"You show her Mel," some of the students remarked, in way of encouragement. They all thought the last person to show anyone how to dress was Melisa. The girl was good natured but known for her outlandish dress styles. It looked like being fun so they coaxed the teacher into going along with it.
Melisa was a tough character used to dressing the youngsters in her family and was putting that experience to good use now. Before the teacher could recover from the first assault another adjustment was made to her clothing. As expected Melisa had unbuttoned the blouse a couple of notches, for her own ample cleavage was always on display.
