A new schoolhouse teacher

In the heartland of tornado country, there lived a family. This family had three girls, ages ranging from eight to fifteen. These girls, names Laura, Sally, and Dixie, had long hair that rested halfway down their backs. Their mother made absolutely sure that the girls’ hair was washed thoroughly every Saturday night and was up during church service.

Laura was the eldest of three daughters, having raven hair that curled in waves of black. Sally had fine, light brown hair that sort of resembled straw. And Dixie, the baby of the family, had a honey blonde hue to her tresses and it was very curly.

All three girls went to a schoolhouse about five miles away from their house. When summer was coming to an end, the girls readied themselves for another school year. What drove the girls nuts was the fact that last year their teacher, Mrs. Merryweather, had to bid her class goodbye because she was getting married and moving to the city. The wonder of who was going to replace their old teacher’s place racked the girls’ brains.

When the time came, the three girls headed out from their log cabin home and went to the schoolhouse. Coming to the building, the girls saw their class outside on the lawn. Everyone reunited and laughed and told stories about their summers.

When the doors to the schoolhouse opened, a woman stood to greet all the kids. She was young, wearing a white blouse with a big bib on the front of it, her skirt was brown and fell to her ankles. Her black shoes were shined as if for church. All her blonde hair was pulled back and up in a sleek updo. Her glasses were round and the rims were gold. She welcomed each student inside and told them to take their seats when they got inside.

As Laura and her siblings took their seats, Laura looked at the chalkboard in front of the classroom. A lone, wooden chair stood dormant in the middle of it. Everyone would wonder why it was there.

”Alright, class”,the woman closed the schoolhouse’s doors and walked to the front of the classroom,”I’m Ms. Baker. I will be your teacher for the foreseeable future. I am a professional woman and expect you all to be too. Just looking around, I can see we’ll need to do a lot of work on being professional. That’s why I’m here”

Ms. Baker continued,”Now, when I call your name, you come up and take a seat in this chair”

All the students held their breath as Ms. Baker started to call out name,”Mary Holdings”

A redhead girl with two long braids and glasses slowly rose from her seat and cautiously made her way up front. She sat in the chair and looked at the teacher who retrieved a cloth sheet from her desk. She flipped it over the girl’s body and secured it with bobby pins. The girl started to remove her spectacles as the headmistress put on an apron that was on a nearby coatrack. She pulled a pair of scissors from one pocket of the apron and grabbed one of the girl’s braids. Mary closed her eyes tight as the snipping blades closed down on the strands of hair. Soon, the blades got through and the braid dangled limply in the headmistress’ palm. She dropped it to the wooden floor and changed to the other side. Like its twin, the other blade fell to the floor. Putting the scissors back into its pocket, Ms. Baker pulled a clipping tool from the other pocket. She tilted Mary’s head down and from the girl’s nape, the clippers clicked up her head. As they went, more and more hair fluttered to the floor and covered the cape thickly. Laura watched on as Ms. Baker turned Mary’s head to the left and started clipping off the fiery red strands on the right side. When that side was done, Ms. Baker cleared off the left side of hair. Soon, Mary had not a hair longer than a centimeter on her head.

Mary put on her glasses and felt up her short-stubbly scalp. All her hair was on the ground and what was on the cape was shook off the sheet came off the girl. Ms. Baker told the girl to take her seat which Mary promptly did.

”Clyde Donovan”

A boy stood up and took his shearing like a stoic. He let all his brown hair be sheared off. After the clipping, he just wiped his nose with his hand and and returned to his seat.

”Charolette Cunningham”

Another girl had all her chestnut hair stripped away. She let a few tears out for her loss tresses. When the sheet’s pins were taken out and the sheet removed, the girl used to her handkerchief to clear her running nose and dab her eyes.

More and more boys and girls had their tresses cut off and all their hair piled in small heaps on the floor. Laura’s two sisters had their turns in the chair and Laura feared the worst.

”Laura Hart”

That was the girl’s name. Butterflies swarmed in the girl’s stomach and her heart seemed to beat so hard as to burst out of her chest. She took her place in the chair and closed her eyes, she felt the fabric tighten around her neck. And snip! Snip! Snip! Laura could feel her head being manipulated as the clippers went over. She wondered how Ms Baker could have this much energy and not stop or take breaks. Her surmise was that this woman was persistence itself.

”Alrighty”,Laura heard Ms. Baker say,”We’re all done. Class, help me clean up all this hair up please”

The girl opened her eyes. The sheet was gone; her hands were still on her lap. She dare not touch her head, not wanting to feel the nakedness of her scalp. Laura rose from the chair and grabbed a broom and dustpan from the janitorial closet. Together, with her youngest sister, Laura and Dixie swept up a lot of cut hair and threw it in the schoolyard for the birds to have.

Laura didn’t know what her head looked like until she looked out the window. The lesson was arithmetic and Laura was no good at math so she stared out the window to somehow find the answer. And there, staring back at Laura, was her without her raven looks to sweep across her face. Her left hand started to rub her neck and then up the backside of her head. It was such a new and refreshing sensation to the girl.

After school, as everyone was filing out of the schoolhouse, Ms. Baker stopped Laura at the door.

”I intend for you to be a good role model for your sisters”,she said,”I like you as my pupil, miss Hart. You keep up your marks and as a treat, I’ll take you down to the barbershop so that you can have a smooth shave. You’d like that?”

”I don’t know, Ms Baker”,Laura blushed,”I’ll have to check with my parents”

”Good”,Ms Baker smiled,”See you tomorrow, dear”

Ms Baker took a bow and went to her desk as Laura escorted her sisters back home.

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