Summary

In “The Truth About Miss Katie” (163), an elementary school-aged narrator explains that she has just overheard her favorite teacher, Miss Katie, having a troubling phone conversation. Miss Katie taught her art and complimented her on her work. She also gave the narrator feminine hygiene products and guidance when she started her first period at school. On Miss Katie's last day at school, the narrator wished to give her a self-portrait she made, but she followed her out to the bleachers and heard her on the phone, complaining to someone about the narrator's school and town being poor, and even joking about the cake the students had brought her. This hurt the narrator's feelings.

“The Chopping Block” (169) is about a young woman contending with grief after her boyfriend left her for another woman. The narrator is staying...