What would you rather be, liked or respected?

Ms. Peterson was one of the youngest teachers at Leete Road Elementary School and she was the newest.  Her hair was shiny and blonde, flat-cut in a bowl around her pale face.  She always wore a dress.  Ms. Peterson expected disciplined third graders.

"Neat desk, neat handwriting, and neat appearance equals a neat mind," she intoned every morning as her heels clicked on the floor between the desks.  Most of the children sat up straight, but some were what she would call "underdeveloped".

Kelly sniffed and rubbed her sore nose with the back of her sleeve.  The clicking paused beside Kelly's desk.  In an instant, Ms. Peterson had a tissue wrapped around Kelly's nose and mouth.  "Blow," she commanded.  Kelly started to cry.  "Blow!"  Ms. Peterson shook Kelly's face and waited.  The dirty little girl with the chronic sinus infection blew as she sobbed.  Ms. Peterson pushed Kelly's face away.  "You will be staying after for detention."

Pageant Question: It is okay for women to wear pants, but why are people so uncomfortable with men in skirts?

"Mr. Ripley," whined Marcus.  "Can you let us out early?"

"You know the answer to that, Marcus.  You're in tenth grade and you know everything, don't you?"  Mr. Ripley ambled over to Marcus' desk.  "You haven't finished your worksheet.  Finish those problems and then you'll be able to talk."

Sharon, always wanting to look good, waved her worksheet in the air.  "I'm done!  Tell us a story, Mr. Ripley!"

The class quieted when Mr. Ripley strode to the front of the room.  "You all wrote down your homework?  All the problems on page 80?"  Cult-like, the students answered that they did.  Ever the showman, Mr. Ripley used the drama of silence.  "Why is it that women can wear skirts and pants, but men can only wear pants?"

The class took a moment before erupting in laughter and their own opinions.  "Scottish people wear skirts!"  "My Uncle Danny wears skirts!"  "Men have different parts!"  "Women shouldn't wear pants!"

Mr. Ripley regained attention by unexpectedly standing on a chair.  "Women's skirts come in so many great patterns and colors, and they're so comfortable and free-flowing, why couldn't I come to class in a skirt?"  Amid the heated debate, the end of class bell rung, and students scooped up their books, still paying attention to getting out their opinions rather than wanting to leave, which had only minutes ago been their priority.  Consensus seemed to be encouraging Mr. Ripley to come to class wearing one of his wife skirts to see what happened.

330

The apprentice was much more upset about the latest training session than the mage, though he kept his hot indignation down to a simmer as he carried his master's supply cases back to their workshop.  Once inside, however, Obidiah's indignation boiled up.

"That was... awful!" he cried, being careful to set down the cases first.  "What a load of arrogant...self-centered...twits!  Why didn't you chastise that lot?"

Master Daniel smiled and shook his head, "It would do no good."

"But they need to know how wrong they are!"  Obi puffed, so outraged, it was difficult to find constructive words.

"They would not understand," replied Master Daniel.  "So far, you have attended me with groups where those who think they already know are outnumbered by those who wish to learn.  This group, however," he spread his hands in a gesture of inevitability, "was overly-concentrated with those of little skill and much inaccurate knowledge."

Obi growled in frustration and paced the stone floor.  "They were arrogant without any reason.  They were disrespectful.  They wasted our time!"

Master Daniel smiled and held Obi's shoulders, "Yes.  It is up to us to find those who are willing and able to learn.  We cannot let ourselves be frustrated by the, how you say, the 'twits'."

293

Their teacher's biggest secret was that she hated people.  She hated having to teach because she had to interact with people.  She hated smiling at people.  She hated thinking of other people.  She hating having to worry about other people.  Miss Declan hated people, but her students never knew it.  Even when she told them, they didn't believe her because she'd smile and help them get their work done, and they improved over the semester.  They would write her good reviews and say how much she cared for them, but secretly: she hated people.

Miss Declan wished for nothing more than to go home and be quiet.  Talking all day made her hate the sound of her own voice.  She worried about her students all the time, and it made her ill.  She hated her own brain for making her think of them.  What Miss Declan wanted was a job where she didn't have to talk to, or plan for, or care about other people.

200

Not for the first time, Natalie wondered why she was still teaching.  Not for the last time, she gave up grading to simply wander around her apartment, wishing she were less concerned about her students.  It took her days to grade a simple group of essays.  Every time she received a new set of assignments, she promised herself that she would comment lightly and get it done fast, but that never happened.  Natalie commented and explained and gave pointers at every step.  She couldn't help it, and it was killing her and reducing her salary to less than minimum wage.  She thought, not for the first time and not for the last, that being a waitress might be more profitable and less stressful.

151

You have taken the first step.  By reading this book, you have acknowledged that not only are you poor, but that you no longer wish to remain poor.  Let this book be your inspiration, your first step up and out of poverty.  Hopefully, you didn't pay too much for it.

In this book you will find:

• Inspirational stories from regular people who prove that you can get out of poverty.
• Thrifty tips and tricks to help you gather wealth.
• Tips and tricks to make you appear (and feel!) richer than you currently are.
• Motivational quotes and facts.
• NEW!  Special added chapter for those who have never been poor, designed to help them realize that being poor is not a character defect.

Your journey from poverty begins now.  Good luck!