3.14 Apple Pi

[Hiram Berry]

 Hiram Berry was sitting at his desk trying to come up with a lesson plan for tomorrow.  The end of the school year was near and Hiram wanted his students to do something fun.  Tons of ideas ran through his head.  They could have a math themed party.  With pi pies, and square root cakes.  Hiram suddenly had a flash of Deja Vu.  This party Thing already happened.  But when? 

'Oh, right.' Pi Day! Every year on March 14th Hiram would throw his students a party.  They ate pi pie, did area problems, and had a circle drawing tournament.  That was Hiram's favorite part of the day.  He loved watching his students attempt to draw a perfectly round circle.  It was actually a lot harder then it sounded and Mr. Berry loved judging his students on their circle drawing skills.

A knock his classroom door pulled Hiram out of his thoughts.  He looked up to see Katherine Thomas standing in the doorway.  That's right!  Mr. Berry had asked Katherine to come see him today.  He wanted to speak to her about her grade.

"Oh, Katherine come in!" Hiram greeted excitedly.  He took his glasses off and sat them on his desk.  Mr. Berry loved to play the teacher card.  He remembered when he was a student and was forced to see his teachers after class that they would always take off their glasses whenever he entered the room.  So now that's what Hiram did to his students.  "Sit down," he said addressing Katherine once again.  He then gestured to the desk right in front of his.

((OCC: I don't know if Kitty is good or bad in math so you can do whatever you want to with that and I'll just go along ))

[Kitty Thomas]

(Well, i posted somewhere else she did not understand math - so lets go with passing, but only just )

Seeing a teacher about a grade was never good news. And as Kitty wondered up to go and see her math teacher, she wondered what this would be about. Was it about the fact she had failed to show up for her last Algebra test? Or that she had tried to convince Principle Figgins she could no longer learn math because everytime she saw an equation she turned into a green, Cheerio monster, kinda like the hulk? Either thing, she was nervous. If she failed math, didn't that mean no more Cheerio's?

She knocked, and gave him a smile as she was told to enter and to sit down. She did so slowly, only pausing to wonder where the best exit was to make a quick escape. "You wish to see me, Mr Berry?" she asked politly. Kitty maybe slightly rude to those she either did not know or did not like, but she knew to always be nice to teachers. Even if they did teach lessons she would rather not take. "I could come back when you are not busy, sir." Kitty added. See, nice Kitty, leaving him to his work - and fleeing for the safety of her friends.

[Hiram Berry]

So it was begining.  The process of conference was not a complicated one.  It was the same thing every time. They would say that they could come back later.  They would pretend to be confused.  They would deny.  They would pretend to be even more confused, and all of this took place before they even know what the problem was.  Why did Hiram's students always have to think that it was something bad.  Of course, Hiram has never asked any students into his classroom for something good, but that doesn't mean it couldn't happen.

"Oh, no stay!  I'm not busy!" Hiram stated when Katherine tried to excuse herself and come back later.  And the process had begun.  "I just wanted to have a little chat."  Mr. berry looked away from his student and began shoveling through his desk.  Once he found what he was looking for he held it in the air and placed it on the center of his desk.

"Do you know what this is?" Hiram asked Katherine.  He knew exactly what it was.  The thing placed on the center of his desk was an Algebra test... a blank Algebra test.  "It is your last Algebra," Hiram himself answered the question he had asked the young woman.  "And, as you can see, it's blank."

Mr. berry of course was not angry, just confused.  He could not help but wonder why she was not in class the day everyone took this test.  Did something happen to her?  Did she not take the test because of him?  Did she hate Hiram?!?  Mr. Berry started to speak calmly once again, "Why weren't you here to take the test.  Did something happen?  Did you forget to study?"  This next one he added under his breath, "Do you hate me?"

Anytime a student skipped his class he kind of took it personally.  Well, not "kind of" he did take it personally.  Hiram thought that he was a fun teacher.  He didn't work his students to hard, and he had fun events-- like Pi Day!  So if Hiram was so much fun why were his students skipping his class?  Maybe they just hated math...  Nah!  Everyone loves math!

[Kitty Thomas]

Darn, no great escape moment. No mission impossible theme song whilst she escaped also. And as he brought out the exam paper, she gave a tiny inward sigh. Just great. Kitty tried to think about somesort of excuse as she sat there. Wait, hate the teacher? She had kinda mumbled it under his breathe, as she wondered why teachers got offended by skipping students. "I don't hate you, sir." Kitty replied, looking up towards him, as she looked from the evil paper. "I just had an emergancy that day."

Yes, now to think of a believable excuse. Maybe her pet fish died or something - not that she had a fish. Oh! Maybe one of her friends had an emergancy, and like the good person she was, she offered to help them out. "Well sir, you see..." Kitty rolled her eyes, as she decided to go with the truth. After all, she may dislike math, she needed to keep all her grades up to stay on the Cheerios. "I tried to study, I really did. But then I had an extra Cheerio practise, and their was this big mall sale... and I really didn't get any studying done, because I don't understand some of it. I read it, but nothing goes in."

She clasped her hands together, and wondered whether she could keep the fact she had actually went to the mall instead of Alegbra a secret.

[Hiram Berry]

Mr. Berry liked all of the Cheerios.  They were his second favorite group of students in the school behind the glee club.  Well, third.  They were behind the glee club and students who excelled in math.  So, with all if this in mind, Katherine was already on his "Favorite Students" list.

Hiram let out a sigh of relief when Katherine said that she didn't hate him.  And she did have an emergency that day she skipped her math test.  'Now we are getting somewhere.'  Hiram said to himself.  Maybe he could help Katherine.  He loved to help students with their problems.

Katherine explained to him that she had an extra Cheerios practice and then there was a sale at the mall so she didn't get any studying done.  Then Katherine went on to say that she really didn't really understand math. "Oh, well, we can work on that."

Hiram never understood why his students didn't come to him when they had a problem with math.  He was not going to make fun of his students for needing help.  That's what he was there for.  But Hiram couldn't help any of his students if they didn't come to class.  "But you have to come to class," Hiram continued his last thought, "Even if you don't feel ready for a test just tell me and you can take the test later."  not many students knew Hiram allowed his students to do this.  Only about four of them knew because if too many students knew about this then they would all try to postpone their tests, and Hiram didn't want to be seen as a push over.  If his students weren't ready for a test he let them take it later.  Hiram wanted all of his pupils to pass and there was no way that was going to happen if they felt discouraged before tests.

[Kitty Thomas]

Work on that? "We can?" Kitty spoke up, slightly worried. "I'm sorry sir, but it's just... I don't get math. I'm a dancer... we need to know to count to 10, and that's about it." She was worried now about how they would be ale to get her to learn math better. She inwardly sighed at the thought of having to come to class, and not skip out for a mall sale. "I understand sir, i'll come to class next time.". Kitty didn't want to get into trouble, of course. Missing a cheerio practise because she got a detention or something would mean Sue might kill her.

"I'll tell you next time, if i'm not ready sir. It's just, some teachers arn't to pleased when you tell them that, so missing the lesson is just... easier." She sat up straight "Can I study and then take the test next week? I promise i'll turn up, Mr Berry!" She moved her hands to play with a few strands of hair, as she waited for the response. Maybe he could help her with some of the math problems as a practise, and then she could take the test next week, and hppefully get a C. A C was a passing grade right? And thats all she needed.