Lesson Plans

Eliza Matthews sat at her dining table, the late afternoon sun filtering through the blinds, casting stripes of warm light across her open laptop keyboard. She’d submitted her resignation to the school just before leaving campus, effective at the end of the semester, a necessary step, one that she hadn't anticipated when she woke up that morning. It felt surreal, exhilarating even. Things were changing so quickly for Eliza, goals, ambitions, all realigning. For her whole life she had followed in her parent's footsteps so closely, never questioning her choices of career. Now that Joey had explained her true calling, though, she felt unshackled from a familial expectation she had never realized that she had been bound by.

Closing her eyes, Eliza took a deep breath, the faint scent of lavender from a nearby candle she had received at Christmas-time from one of her students bringing a smile to her face.

She was a good teacher. Always had been. Gifts like the candle littered her apartment, evidence that her efforts had not gone unnoticed. Candles, gift cards, bags of unground coffee beans, thank-you cards from both parents and students. Yes, she'd been strict, but Eliza knew how to get results. Back when she had thought her job was to educate an entire class of students, teach history, form minds, she had taken pride in her ability to bring unwilling students into the richness of the past, informing them of the context which informed their present. Although that had only been that morning, to Eliza it seemed like years ago. It amazed her how blind she had been, how she had been so confused, so askew from her proper job. Thankfully Joey had corrected her. She was still young, and a course correction in her career at this point in life would ensure that she wouldn't waste her life missing out on her calling.

Her focus shifted to the document she had open titled "Student Confidence & Success Plan — Joey". The title alone made her smile, a private warmth spreading in her chest. Helping Joey wasn’t just her responsibility; it was her job. The plan had three carefully considered sections, each tailored to nurture his growth and future.

Helping Joey Succeed

• Graduation - Joey should receive the grades he needs to graduate. Adjust past records as necessary to reflect his true potential. Ensure grades from other teachers reflected a passing grade.
• Classroom work - Provide individualized academic resources. She would personalize each lesson plan to ensure his unique learning style was supported. Offer private tutoring as needed.
• Private life - Assess Joey's life outside of school and make a plan for success in each and every one of his endeavors.

Eliza thought back to their time together earlier that day, the softness in his skin as she held his hands, the feeling of excitement as she stood so closely to him. Swallowing hard, she steadied her breath. Her job was so much bigger than she had thought when she'd taken the posting at South Point High. Thinking through her responsibilities, she couldn't see and easy separation between on-time and off-time. Being close to Joey, being available to him to help him succeed could potentially take her entire life. Not that she minded. Eliza knew that jobs worth doing were often not the easy ones, and it was rare that a person ended up with a job that filled one with purpose, with meaning. She was, in a lot of ways, very lucky.

Building Joey Up, Nurturing Joey’s Confidence

• Praise - Acknowledge Joey’s strengths ceaselessly. Make sure he understands how much potential he has. Discover all of his best qualities and celebrate them.
• Distract - Eliminate any lingering self-doubt minimizing any perceived short-comings. Ensure that his worldview is focused on his strengths and not his weaknesses.
• Curate - Shield him from negative influences. Remove anyone from Joey's life that would seek to undermine his confidence. Bring people around him who would believe in him and build him up.

This might be a tricky task. So much of Joey's social circle was unknown to her. She needed him to accept him into his broader life so that she could fully assess the impact of people around him. Did his parents believe in him? Did he have toxic friends? Eliza racked her brain trying to remember any significant relationships exhibited by Joey during her time with him but drew up a blank. Could it be that he had little-to-no social circle? If so, what would be the best for him, a large group of friends, or a small, dedicated group of friends? She would have to get close to understand him better so she could put effort in the right place.

Helping Joey Become a Man

Eliza leaned back in her chair. This was the big one. Her pulse quickened as she considered this final task, this vital and crucial duty of her job. There was no way around it, helping Joey become a man was Eliza's calling. In a lot of ways Eliza was lucky that she had made the mistake of becoming a teacher. Even though she knew that it wasn't really her job, the role had given her a way into the life of the person she was meant to help, and if she had chosen a different path, paramedic, law enforcement, anything else, chance were that she would have entirely missed the opportunity to really live her life, to fulfil her destiny.

She looked at her list, not as comprehensive as the other ones, but this one, to her, seemed like more of a moving target.

• Maturity - Joey needs to be able to take responsibility for himself, and for those he cares about. Give him a chance to be accountable for your future so he can see deeper consequences of his actions.
• Intimacy - Joey needs to understand himself as a sexual being. Become sexually open, exploratory, generous. Allow him to discover himself through you.
• Purpose - Joey needs to find the strength within to take control of his future, of his relationships, of his life. Let him take a role in your life that helps him feel needed.

Now that she knew of her task, though, she needed change. Teachers, appropriately, had boundaries. If Eliza was going to help Joey become a man, she would have to have none. Giving her notice to the school that afternoon was a good start, the first step to following her new priorities, but there would have to be more. Once she was free of the legal responsibilities of her current employer, the people who paid her paycheck despite not being her real job, she could really become the person she would need to be to be in Joey's life.

That was the key. Her new role in his life. Eliza knew she had a lot of ground to make up. For the entire time she'd known Joey Granger, she'd never taken him seriously, never even shown him kindness. He was a loser student in a crowd of people outshining him. If she was going to have Joey let her into his life, especially when his mandated education was complete, she would have to prove to him that she was worth his time, that she could contribute, that she was serious about doing her job.

He should, she hoped, see that she was trying and give her a chance. He was the one, after all, who had set her on the right path, explaining what her real job actually was. To deny her the chance to actually do the job would just be cruel.

But what kind of role could she play in his life once he was a high school graduate? She returned to her laptop to put down her thoughts.

List of Possible Roles in Joey’s Life

Girlfriend

• Helping Joey Succeed: As his girlfriend, I would have a natural position of influence. I could offer daily encouragement, one-on-one guidance, and personalized support outside of the classroom, without the limitations of school regulations.
• Building Joey Up, Nurturing Joey’s Confidence: Romantic partners are key sources of emotional reinforcement. By affirming his strengths and addressing his doubts in a personal context, I would be able to nurture his self-esteem consistently.
• Helping Joey Become a Man: A girlfriend provides companionship and emotional intimacy, which are important to maturity. Girlfriends are an exploratory relationship where one discovers their sexual identity, learning how to be a sexual being.

Disadvantage: The relationship is temporary by nature. If he drifts away from me, my ability to help Joey long-term would be compromised.

Side-Piece

• Helping Joey Succeed: The secrecy of a hidden relationship could allow freedom from societal expectations, enabling me to focus purely on Joey’s needs without external judgment.
• Building Joey Up, Nurturing Joey’s Confidence: I could prioritize him above all else, giving him exclusive attention and ensuring he knows he’s my sole priority, all without forcing him to commit to a relationship that he might not be ready for.
• Helping Joey Become a Man: The role of a side-piece can be exciting and tantalizing. It can lead to playful and adventurous expressions of intimacy.

Disadvantage: Lack of commitment and exclusivity could weaken my influence. It’s a role of limited power that does not align well with the need to help him become a man.

Wife

• Helping Joey Succeed: Marriage formalizes my lifelong dedication to his growth and success. I would have full access to his personal and professional life to guide and enhance his progress.
• Building Joey Up, Nurturing Joey’s Confidence: A wife’s role includes providing constant affirmation, emotional stability, and unwavering support. I would be positioned to build his confidence in every area of his life, continuously reinforcing his strengths.
• Helping Joey Become a Man: Marriage offers the greatest scope for shaping his maturity. I would guide him through the challenges of adulthood, providing structured support, partnership, and mentorship. It would also come with a sexual expectation built into the relationship.

Disadvantage: This role could draw scrutiny from others, potentially complicating his path to success if not managed carefully.

Sugar-Mama

• Helping Joey Succeed: Financial security would remove many obstacles to his success, allowing him to focus on his potential without external pressures.
• Building Joey Up, Nurturing Joey’s Confidence: Lavishing attention and resources on Joey would demonstrate my faith in his worth and ability, reinforcing his self-esteem.
• Helping Joey Become a Man: In a purely physical sense, this role create an atmosphere and context for rapid growth.

Disadvantage: There’s a danger that financial dependence could undermine his confidence and hinder the development of his full potential.

It was a lot to consider. So many details, even her lists didn't cover all he possibilities, all the variables. She knew she would have to get this right, so the pressure felt intense.

In the end, though, Eliza realized that she was thinking of the whole thing wrong. Yes, preparation was key, and understanding each role’s advantages was vital. But to truly help Joey become a man, she would have to let him define the nature of their relationship. Giving him the responsibility would help him grow and understand that he had impact on a life beyond his own. Eliza smiled. Yes, that was the best way to move forward. Putting Joey in the driver's seat.

Her phone buzzed on the table. She glanced down.

Derek.

"Just got off work. Thinking of you :) Want to grab dinner tomorrow?"

Crap. Her lips tightened as picked up the phone, her thumb hovered over the screen. In all her career thinking, she hadn't thought about Derek, her boyfriend. Four years they had dated. Four good years. It had been her own rite of passage, finding a man, becoming a woman, falling in love. Derek was a good man; kind, dependable, patient. She could almost picture his easy smile as he texted. He had been a constant for Eliza in every tumultuous moment of her adult life.

He had been her Prince Charming, having swept her off her feet, making her feel like a woman.

Now, just as she was resetting her priorities, he felt suffocating.

"Hey, Derek. Busy tomorrow. Maybe another time?"

Almost immediately, he replied. "K - Maybe Friday? Let's talk summer. Found a cabin in Vermont. Maybe a place we can talk about our future?"

Their future. Her heart twisted, a pang of guilt fluttering through her chest. Of course he would bring that up now. Some men wanted what they wanted, and Derek, she now realized, was no different. For as long as she'd known him, he'd always told her that he wouldn't get in the way of her career. She had been firm about that, even when she had been giddy with affection in the early days. No man was going to **** her to give up her job. But now that she knew what her job really was, she could see through Derek's games. She thought of the times he had been casually dropped hints lately, mentioning a future together, talking about how one day he'd like to get married, buy a house, have children.

All of it, of course, at the expense of Eliza's job. At the expense of Joey.

Derek would never understand. He would be jealous. He would lash out, not at her, but at Joey, something Eliza could not and would not stand for. Her job was important to her! Without it, she would lose who she was, becoming only an extension of Derek. No, if she was going to be an extension of anyone, it would be Joey. It was, after all, in a lot of ways, her job.

"Derek, I need to be honest. I don’t think we should see each other anymore."

Then, feeling guilty about the abruptness of her delivery, "I'm sorry."

A long pause. She had just dropped a bombshell. She could understand why it would take him a few moments to process. If the shoe was on the other foot, she'd take a while to figure out what to say, too. That said, the difference between her and Derek is that she would never try to **** him to give up his career.

"Wait, what? Where is this coming from? I thought things were going great."

Eliza closed her eyes, breathing deeply before she typed her reply. "I’ve been thinking a lot about what I want. I need to pursue something else in life," and then again, "I’m sorry."

Seconds ticked by. Her phone began to ring. She ignored it. It rang again. Again ignored.

"Is there someone else?"

Eyes wide, heart slamming against her ribs, a wave of panic surged through her. This was a consequence she hadn't considered. If Derek were to find out about Joey, if he were to think that one of her students was the reason for the end of their relationship, both she and Joey would be in serious danger. More than that, she would potentially be prevented from doing her job!

With trembling hands, she sent one last text message.

"It's over," she said, "There is nobody else. Goodbye."

Then she opened the settings on her phone, navigated to Derek’s contact, and pressed Block Number. The action felt like severing a cord, sharp and decisive. She hoped it was enough.

She placed the phone face down, her breath coming in slow, controlled exhalations. Her eyes returned to her laptop screen, where the title "Student Confidence & Success Plan — Joey" still glowed like a beacon of certainty.

Her past behind her, Eliza had to work on her future. And her future would be sitting in the second row in third period the next day. She couldn't wait to get it started.