But we’ll see him again on Friday at the statehouse. There’ll be a ceremony there to name the winning teacher, and we’re invited.
Then, if he’s chosen, Mr. D’Matz will fly off to Egypt for the big adventure.” We all sucked in our breath again when she said his name, and so I almost missed what she said next.
But I heard it: “Which means he will be gone for the rest of the year.”
Mrs. Rice went on talking, but my ears were so full of gone for the rest of the year that I couldn’t hear anything else.
I looked over at my teacher. I waited for him to jump up and say, “Nope, sorry, Mrs. Rice.
I can’t go away for the rest of the year because I promised to be here.
I stood right in front of my students and said, ‘I will be your teacher this year.’ It’s still this year, so I have to stay and be their teacher.
I won’t break my promise.” But he didn’t do that. He just sat at his desk smiling at Mrs. Rice!
“This is a Tremendous Opportunity,” Principal Rice was saying in her capital-letters voice. “We should all be very proud of Mr. D’Matz.”
All the kids clapped and made faces like they were happy about the Tremendous Opportunity and proud of our teacher. Not me.
I don’t think breaking a promise is a reason to be proud of someone.
