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Mrs. Krabapple
sat at her desk bent over with her head rested on her hand watching
her class as they took a quiz. Everyone had their heads downs
and pencils were scribbling furiously putting down answers before
time ran out. She wasn't happy about where she was and thought
she had made a mistake going into teaching. Bart and some of
the others had given her grief all morning and it was nice to
have a moment's silence. She lifted a pen and began to work out
grades. As she marked off names she became more and more angry.
Nearly every kid on this list had done something wrong that had
infuriated her. She had not realized how much pressure she was
putting into her writing until the pen shatter sending ink all
over her desk. "Crap!" she yelled realizing she'd
have to start over. Realizing what she'd done she looked up to
see several kids giggling at her out burst. "You didn't
hear that." She said trying to cover it up, but they just
continued to laugh making her even angrier. That did it!! Someone
would have to pay. She scanned the room for a child she hadn't
sent to detention a hundred times already. Her eyes fixed on
a small boy in the back of the room who wasn't writing at all
but just staring at his quiz. "You fuzzy head. The boy
with the wild hair." He looked up.
"My name is Max, Ma'am." All eyes turned on him. She'd
never called on him for anything.
"Turn back around!! Eyes on your own papers!!" She
yelled at the class. "Alright 'Max'. You seem to have lots
of time on your hands, why don't you bring that quiz up here."
She squinted her eyes thinking that she had him now. Max quietly
got out of his desk and marched to the front of the room and handed
in his paper.
"What the? But this is finished. I thought you were just
wasting time." She said astounded.
"No ma'am. I just didn't want to be the first to hand in
my paper." She frowned at his remark.
"Well in that case, please turn in your English homework."
"Now? But we haven't started English yet. What about everyone
else."
"Ah, I see someone didn't do their English homework. I think
I know what grade to put down next to your name."
"EEP! No ma'am I did do it." Blurted out Max and he
ran back to his desk, dug through his bag, found his homework
and ran back up and handed it to her. Krabapple looked it over
and her eyes went wide.
"Well I'll be you did do it, and it's all right…I mean.
Ok fair enough. Now turn in the rest of your work."
"Which one?"
"All of it."
Bart whispered to Milhouse, "Looks like poor 'ol Max is getting
the Krab treatment."
"Yeah, everyone gets it eventually." Said Milhouse.
Max went back to his desk and turned in a stack of papers. Again
Krabapple was surprised he had it all done.
"When did you do this? I would have thought you'd have been
working on it before each class period."
"I did it yesterday."
"But I always see you writing in lunch. What are you doing
if not today's work?"
"Tomorrow's home work that you assign today."
"Hum." She said staring at him. She looked over his
papers and began to mark things off with her red pen. Max watched
with his mouth wide open in disbelief. "Well this is wrong,
and so is this and this, oh and your math it all wrong."
"It can't be. Math's one of my favorite subject."
"Oh come now, no one likes math. Do all of these over again.
Now get back to your seat wise guy." She said handing back
his homework. She watched him trudge back there and it certainly
felt good to do that after having a bad day. This went on for
a few days and Max's grades began to slip. He would come home
run straight to his room and work for hours on his assignment
only to have them be failures the following day. He stopped playing
outside because all he could think of was trying to pass his classes.
Frink noticed
the decrease in Max's outdoor activity and in his energy level.
Concerned he went up to check on him in his room. He tapped
on the door and when he didn't get any response he opened it slowly.
There he found Max on his stomach crying on his pillow. "Oh
my, Max what's wrong?" He said deeply concerned, and sat
down on the bed next to him. Max held his pillow tight and turned
his head to look at his father.
"School's getting really hard. I can't do it anymore. I'm
stupid."
"What? Wait a second. Maximillian Frink, you are NOT stupid,
far from it! Son if you're having trouble in school why didn't
you just tell me?"
"I thought I could do it by myself." Said Max as tears
streamed down his face.
"Well let's have a look." Said Frink as he opened Max's
bag and pulled out his homework. He went through his work and
with every page he turned his expression became more and more
hardened until he stood up and yelled,
"Good Glayvin!! What's the meaning of this?"
"I'M SORRY DAD!!" Yelled Max as he covered his head
with his pillow.
"No, no son, come out of there. There's nothing wrong with
your homework." He leafed through it again. "Nothing
at all. I think it's time I had my first parent teacher conference.
Max you keep doing what you are doing and do not listen to these
'corrections' Mrs. Krabapple put down here. Don't worry, everything
will be fine." He sat Max up and pushed on his chin forcing
him to look at him. "I'll take care of it." Max forced
a weak smile as Frink rubbed his head again. "Now forget
about this and go outside and play."
After school the
following day Mrs. Krabapple was busy in the classroom once again
when the door flew open with a loud CRASH as it hit the wall.
"AUH!!" She screamed as she held her heart breathing
hard. "Why don't you learn to knock on the door next time,
buster. You scared me half to death." And she continued
writing.
"Why don't you learn to do your job next time." Yelled
Frink as he threw Max's homework at her. "Do you mind telling
me since when has Orlando been the capital of Florida? And what's
this, new history? George Washington discovered America? That's
why he's the father of our country? Good grief I've never seen
so many F's, well except may-be for the ones I got in physical
education; But that's not the point Wah Hey!" Krabapple
looked at the papers.
"Oh, that. You must be Max's father, uh Mr…."
"Professor Frink, thank you."
"Uh yes. Well you see Max has a problem. He's so quiet
all the time that he needs a little help. I was just…"
"Let me guess. His problem, hum hey, Hey!! His problem
is that he knows the subjects you are teaching better than you
do. I have been going over his papers and you are marking him
off on purpose. I don't know why but it seems to me you have
decided to pick on my Son for no reason at all. Am I right, Mrs.
Krabapple?"
Realizing she wasn't going to fool him she tried a different approach.
She went up to him slowly tilted her head to one side and place
one hand around his left shoulder then the other on his right.
"Why don't we forget this whole ugly incident happened?
Come with me and I'll show you a thing or two, if you know what
I mean." She came closer to him and looked him in the eyes
smiling. He quickly grabbed her hands and threw them off his
person.
"If I were looking for female courtship interaction I would
go home to my wife who is a real woman. There is nothing you
could POSSIBLY show me. You are just a teacher while I am a professor
and completely out rank you." He walked over to the doorway
and turned back to her and added, "I will be personally grading
Max's homework from here on. If I find you are still failing
him for no reason I shall have you removed. All I have to do
is pull a few strings. Personally I would love to see Mrs. Simpson
back in here again. Good day madam. Bwah Hay!" And with
that he slammed the door shut as loud as he did when he first
came in leaving Krabapple with concerned look on her face.
