Cesspool Read Online Free PDF

hall as he sidled up to his teacher. “I’m glad you’re back. The subs we had …” Maurice shook his head. “I can see why they only get a hundred dollars a day.”
    “We had eleven different subs,” Janelle said.
    Maurice laughed as Vernon strutted into the classroom with a crooked smile.
    “Thank God,” Vernon said. “Mr. Fish, it was borin’ as hell in here.”
    James swallowed the lump in his throat. “Thanks, guys. It’s good to be back.”
    The rest of the class spilled into the room and greeted their teacher long after the bell. The mood was jovial and rambunctious.
    “Mr. Fisher,” Mrs. Scribner said from the doorway. She stood with her toe tapping and her arms crossed over her chest.
    James glanced at the tiny blonde. She looked like a teacher strip-o-gram.
    “It’s great that you’re back and everything,” she said, “but my kids are really distracted by the noise.”
    James marched over and shut the door in her face. The class laughed and commented on the diss. The kids finally settled into their seats. James stood in front of his class in khakis and a button-down shirt. “So what did you guys learn while I was away?” James asked.
    “Nuthin’,” Maurice said.
    “He’s right,” Janelle said. “They were teachin’ stuff we already learned. Dr. Dicks said there was no way we were as far as we were.”
    “You guys are a lot smarter than they give you credit for,” James said. “Did you learn about the Reconstruction?”
    “Yes,” several kids said in unison.
    “Since we’re so far ahead on government propaganda, why don’t we concentrate on learning things that will help everyone become a more successful adult?” James scanned the classroom. The kids sat up straight, with their eyes locked on him. “What do you guys think is the purpose of school? Why do you have to go to school for thirteen years?”
    “To learn,” a Bolivian kid said.
    James nodded.
    Vernon frowned. “To learn what they want us to learn.”
    “Who’s they , Vernon?” James asked.
    Vernon shrugged. “People in power. Who else?”
    “Can you be more specific?”
    “The government,” Vernon said.
    “And bankers,” Maurice added.
    “And the fascists,” Janelle said.
    “Janelle, can you explain to everyone what a fascist is?” James asked.
    She stood, taking the spotlight. “Fascism is when you put together private companies with the government.”
    James chuckled. “So what do all these people want you to learn? And for what motive?”
    “Stuff that makes ’em look good,” a heavyset girl said.
    “To keep us from knowin’ the truth,” Maurice said.
    “And why wouldn’t they want us to know the truth?” James asked.
    “So we don’t get mad. So we’re easier to control,” Maurice replied.
    “There’s this comedian that I really like,” James said. “His name was George Carlin.”
    “Never heard of him,” Vernon said.
    “He died in 2008, so he’s probably a bit before your time. In one of his shows he explained what you guys are talking about. I’m paraphrasing here, but he said something like, ‘They want obedient workers. People who are just smart enough to run the machines and do the paperwork. And just dumb enough to passively accept a lower and lower standard of living. What they don’t want is a population of well-informed, well-educated people, capable of critical thinking. That doesn’t help them. That’s against their interests.’” James paused and looked around at the diversity in the classroom. Boy and girls, black and white, and everything in between. He thought about how they all had one thing in common. The deck is already stacked against them . He continued, “That’s what I want for you guys. I want you to learn to think for yourselves. So, for the rest of the year, that’s what we’ll concentrate on.”
    * * *
    Dr. Dicks sat behind his desk, noticeably higher than James across from him. Does he have a booster seat back there? The gold placard on his