Rule #2: A teacher never believes herself above her students.

Mrs. Laucella scoffed at the rule. Same level as her students? She had wanted to be an educator all her life. She had been one of the top ten students in her class, maintaining a 4.0 GPA through college and her master's degree in education. Now, here she was staring at a piece of paper telling her that a teacher never believes herself above her students. Obviously! How was she supposed to reach the students if she consistently thought of herself as better than them? After all, it was Einstein who said, “Everyone is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.”

In some classes, it was pretty easy to see the genius of her students. On that day, with the teacher’s guide placed back inside the desk, she was more appreciative than usual of her students' specific talents. She made sure to elevate them all in conversation to ensure that they never felt like Mrs. Laucella was placing herself above them. She praised the AP students whenever they got answers right and even had them quiz her on some questions. Even with the students who didn’t do as well academically, she had been told by coaches that they were geniuses in their own sports. So, even when they didn’t get an answer one hundred percent right, she made sure to still praise them for their athletic achievements. She would say things like, “You may have missed that question, but I could never score a touchdown.” Her classes reacted with odd smiles. It was these reactions to her behavior that had Mrs. Laucella thinking that perhaps she had given these students the wrong impression previously by making herself out to be their infallible superior.

After all, everyone has their strengths and weaknesses, even a teacher like her. So when her troubled seventh period class entered, she was ready to elevate them all to her level. They were off to a good start, as surprisingly, for the first time, they were all in class early. Maybe things are really starting to change around here, she thought to herself.

“Good afternoon, everyone. For today’s lecture, we are going to do things a little bit differently. In an effort to elevate us all, we are each going to have the textbook, and we will take turns going around the room reading out passages for the whole class. Then everyone can explain piece by piece anything they are confused about or any important dates. I will serve mostly as a moderator to ensure that conversation and education flow smoothly.”

Jose looked confused, as if he was expecting something else. In the end, it was Jackson who finally spoke first. “Why are we switching things up? I really thought we had a good thing going with you talking and us kind of passively listening.”

“Look, let’s just give it a try,” said Mrs. Laucella. “If it doesn’t work, we can try something else. I’m open to ideas.”

And so they did try, but she found a number of students, particularly Lyle, struggling with the passages so much that she had to take over even for concepts and vocabulary that she would have thought of as basic for a middle schooler. Eventually, Jose spoke up again.

“I’m sorry, Miss, I really just don’t think this is working. It’s just hard when you know so much more than us.”

Terrence and Peter both mumbled their agreement as she stared at Jose, considering his proposition.

“Especially Lyle. I mean no offense to him, but the kid's an idiot, so having a teacher so smart can just be so intimidating for him.”

“Hey! I am not an idiot,” Lyle said idiotically.

“How about you just shut your damn mouth,” Terrence said.

“Hey, no cursing! We went over this yesterday.”

No one said a word as Mrs. Laucella continued to think. Jose had a point. Lyle was not the sharpest knife in the drawer; in fact, he was more of a spoon. It would be impossible to elevate him to the level of their PhD candidate teacher without extensive tutoring. However, the rule was clear. A great teacher never believes herself above her students. If she could not bring Lyle up to her level, there was only one other option to satisfy the rule. She had to meet him where he was. It made sense that she would have to believe herself below her lowest student so that she could best relate to her class. If Lyle knew as much as a middle schooler about US history, then so would Mrs. Laucella.

She straightened her blazer, smoothing out invisible wrinkles with a sharp, professional tug. She squared her shoulders and looked at Lyle. He is the standard, she thought resolutely. I must ensure I do not exceed his cognitive grasp, at least not when he is around. She took a deep breath, and as she exhaled, she let the complicated facts, the dates, and the polysyllabic words drain out of her mind like water from a tub. The concept of "nuance" evaporated. The definition of "economics" blurred until it was gone. She blinked, her expression remaining stern and composed, though the light behind her eyes had dimmed significantly.

"Excellent point, Jose," Mrs. Laucella said, her voice crisp and authoritative, retaining every ounce of her professional cadence. “And to be honest, I am as confused about this material as Lyle is.”

“Really?” asked Lyle with a smile that made Mrs. Laucella proud to be an educator.

“Yes. It is very complicated stuff,” she said, and she truly meant it.

“Can we test that?” asked Derrick. “Maybe ask you some questions.”

“Well, as nice as that sounds,” said Mrs. Laucella, “we still have to go over the textbook.”

“Really, Mrs. Laucella,” said Jose, “it would be really helpful if we could ask some questions to you.”

“Well, I guess if it is helpful, fire away!”

Peter, who had been relatively quiet, spoke up first. “Who was the third president of the United States?”

Mrs. Laucella knew the answer like she knew the names and birthdays of all the other presidents that had come before or after, but in that moment, it didn’t matter what she knew as much as what Lyle knew. In her heart, she knew Lyle would not know the name of the third president, so the name escaped her and she took her best guess with what was left.

“George Washington! Wait, no, Lincoln!” She crossed her fingers, but the class just laughed.

“Man, Lyle,” Jackson said, “you really did a number on her.” He shifted his pencil through his fingers dexterously. “Here is one. Who is the first president of the United States?”

Well, that was an easy one even for the worst of students, thought Mrs. Laucella, but before she could reply, Jackson continued. “But I want to hear from Lyle first.”

Lyle scoffed and shook his shaggy hair out of his face. He was probably the worst dressed in the class in a tank top and ripped jeans. “I know I’m not smart, but even I know...” Jose whispered something in his ear, causing him to look like he had the first clever thought of his life. “That the first President of the United States was George. Curious George.”

“Oh,” said Peter. “Close, but oh so far. Mrs. Laucella! Your turn.”

A second ago she had known the answer quite clearly, but now it felt almost impossible. Curious George seemed like a pretty good guess all things considered. She knew he had some level of importance, so it was not unreasonable to determine that at some point he may have had a level of political influence. Based on what she knew, she made her deduction.

“George Lopez!”

She sat back smugly and fairly confident that she had gotten it right, especially when Lyle had given her a thumbs up to her response.

“She’s an idiot now,” said Terrence.

“Young man!” she said with her full voice. “I am still your educator and you will not speak to me that way or you will be suspended. Do you understand me?”

Jose spoke up. “But it would be helpful for us if we didn’t have to fear punishment for our actions.”

He made sense. Obviously, those who live in totalitarian states are going to be afraid to express themselves and new ideas, so she couldn’t hold that same level of fear over her students, despite their disrespect.

“Okay, fine, no suspension. But the least you could do is show some respect and do what is appropriate.” She sat back down at her desk and went to look over the lesson plan for the day, but it seemed a little complicated.

“I have another question,” said Jose. “What is appropriate attire for school?”

“Well, in my opinion, all students should have to dress formally in button-ups, khakis or dress pants, and loafers. I would completely ban sneakers outside of the gym. And then teachers would wear suits, pantsuits, and long dresses that go down to mid-calf at the highest.”

“Really?” said Jose, speaking like an equal. “So you would say people that dress like that are dressed more appropriately than students dressed like me or Lyle?”

“Of course.”

“So you would say you believe your outfit to be on a higher level than mine?”

And that was how Mrs. Laucella found herself at the mall alone that evening, staring into the fluorescent lights of a store that smelled aggressively of cheap cologne and rubber.

She felt entirely out of place in her navy pantsuit, clutching a pair of denim trousers that appeared to have been destroyed by industrial machinery. These are ruined, she thought, tracing a massive hole in the knee. One cannot wear destroyed clothing to a place of learning. But then the image of Lyle rose in her mind. Lyle wore pants like this. If she thought these pants were unacceptable, she was judging Lyle's choices as inferior. She was placing her taste above his. She swallowed the lump of pride in her throat and draped the jeans over her arm.

Next came the shirts. She needed something that screamed "average intelligence" to match her new pedagogical approach. Her hand landed on a bright orange t-shirt featuring a spiky-haired anime character screaming while surrounded by lightning. She held it up. It was a size small, likely cut for a junior. This is absurd, she thought, her lip curling in distaste. A cartoon shirt? This is something a child wears. This is completely below me.

The thought slammed into her like a physical blow. Below me. The words echoed in her head, triggering a sharp, uncomfortable buzz behind her eyes. A teacher never believes herself above her students. By thinking this shirt was below her, she was breaking the rule. She was being arrogant. She was being a bad teacher.

She took a deep breath, letting her standards dissolve into the warm, fuzzy fog of compliance. If it is below me, then I must go down to it, she corrected herself. I must lower myself until this shirt feels like high fashion. She marched to the fitting room. The shirt was tight, hugging her ribs and chest with an uncomfortable squeeze that she would usually deem inappropriate. She looked at herself in the mirror, the cartoon character stretching across her torso. It was unprofessional. It was ill-fitting. It was perfect. She nodded at her reflection, her face a mask of serious dedication. I will take it, she thought. It is the only way to be helpful.