This week, our lovely, ever-enlightening curriculum decided that what we all really needed in our fragile, hormone-fueled lives was a deep dive into African dictators. Because, obviously, what screams “high school engagement” like m*********r, economic collapse, and military coups? Nothing says “Happy Tuesday” quite like g******e before lunch.
So there I am, half-awake, doodling in the margins of my notebook—mostly dramatic skulls and one surprisingly accurate sketch of a decapitated pineapple—when Mrs. Buehler walks in with that manic, over-caffeinated energy teachers get when they think they’re about to “open our minds.” She slams a stack of papers on my desk like she’s dropping the Ten Commandments.
“Today,” she declares, “we’re learning about unrestrained power.”
Great. Because noth
