When they're back in their seats, one of the kids asks their new teacher why their former teacher was crying. Teacher says that she was probably just tired- after all, she is quite old and- Teacher adds- now she's going to have a long rest: "WE believe that teachers should be young". Another child asks if the war is over, and Teacher says yes, it is, which means all of their fathers will be home soon. One girl inquires if they won or lost, and Teacher replies, "You and I, and everyone- WE won. We're all one world now." She is interrupted by Johnny, who angrily demands to know where his dad is- what have they done with him? Teacher lays her hand on his arm and says that his father is going to school; some grownups have to go to school as well as children. Johnny says that his father didn't want to go but was still taken away. Teacher points out that often children don't want to go to school but have to anyway, and adults are just the same. She says that Johnny will be able to see his father soon, when he has a holiday. Johnny is incredulous; his mother told him that his father would never be allowed to come back. Teacher says, however, that his mother is wrong: everyone gets a holiday from school once in a while and so will his father. He just had to go away for a while because he had "strange thoughts and he wanted others to believe them." She asks if it's okay for people to believe wrong things. Johnny says no, but that his father never believed anything bad. Teacher says, "Of course not: I said wrong thoughts, not bad thoughts." She then asks if it's right to correct adults when they're wrong and Johnny slowly says yes, but then asks what wrong thoughts his father had. Teacher says, just some wrong thoughts that are old fashioned, and that they'll be learning about these things in class, where they'll all share knowledge and learn from each other. Johnny says okay, but he knows his father couldn't have wrong thoughts. Teacher looks at him for a moment then she says, what about the times when Johnny asked his dad something and the response was that he was too busy, or would talk about it the next day. She says, "That's a bad thought, not to give you time when it's important, isn't it?" Johnny says sure, but adults do that all the time... another boy chimes in that his father says that a lot. One of the girls adds that maybe her mom should go back to school, and some others nod in agreement. Teacher pats Johnny's shoulder and tells him he's a good boy. Back at the front of the class, she tells the students that she has a wonderful surprise for them: they're all going to be spending the night at school. They have a lovely room with beds, there's plenty of food, and they'll tell stories and have a great time. The children chatter excitedly at the thought of a sleepover, one asking if they can stay up past their bedtime. Teacher says, since it's their first day, they can stay up until 8:30 pm. One little girl says that then they'll have to say their prayers. Teacher says, of course, and says that perhaps they should say a prayer now. She asks what they should pray for; Johnny says "bless Mom and Dad" and Teacher says good, but that she has an idea- they should pray for candy. The kids' ears perk up at that, one saying that he hasn't had any candy since Christmas. Teacher gets everyone to fold their hands and close their eyes, then says "God bless Mommy and Daddy, and please may we have some candy." When they open their eyes, there is, of course, no candy and Teacher acts surprised. If God is everywhere and all seeing, she says, where is their candy? One of the boys says that he doesn't think it works that way; last year he prayed for a puppy and didn't get one. Teacher says that maybe they didn't pray hard enough, or perhaps they need to kneel down like in church (the children obediently kneel by their desks). Then she says that perhaps they're calling God by the wrong name; perhaps they should try calling Him 'Our Leader'. She instructs the children to pray to Our Leader for candy, telling them to pray extra hard and to not open their eyes until she tells them to. While the kids are earnestly praying, she quietly unzips a small bag and places a handful of candy on her desk. When she tell the children to open their eyes, there are gasps of delight as they spot the treats; one girls says excitedly that she's going to pray to Our Leader all the time. Teacher says yes, "Our Leader answered your prayers," but is then interrupted by Johnny who says accusingly that she put the candy there; he was peeking during the prayer and saw her do it. The other children look at her in shock, but instead of getting angry, Teacher pauses for a moment and then tells Johnny that he's right, and that he's a very wise boy. As she starts to hand the candy out, she says that she did put the candy there, to show them that it does nothing to pray to God or even Our Leader; the only way they will get anything is if it is given to them by another human being- like her. She tells the boy who mentioned the puppy that God didn't give him one, but she will, if he's good and works hard. Praying to God, she says, is a waste of time. They can, of course, pray if their parents want them to, but they'll know that it means nothing: "That will be our secret." The children look pleased at the thought of sharing a secret. She tells them to eat the candy and says that, because Johnny was so observant, she thinks he should be made class monitor for the entire week. Johnny smiles and thanks her, eating the candy with the other children. He and another boy agree that Teacher is right and say that they're going to work hard not to have any wrong thoughts, with Johnny adding "Not like Dad." Teacher wanders over to the window and gazes out and is soon joined by several of the students. She tells them that this is a fine land and that all across it, everyone is being taught just like she's teaching them, "each according to their age group, each according to his need." She glances at the clock: it's 23 minutes after nine. (To Be Continued...)
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