Satellite

This story was slightly sad to me, maybe just because I think mother-daughter relations so often seem so fraught with disappointment and misunderstandings. It's interesting to see how the dynamics have changed in Ms. Hempel's childhood home, since the strong presence of her father is gone and her young sister and mother are by themselves. Ms. Hempel seems sort of detached from the whole situation, like a satellite, I guess: still connected to the place but kept at a distance. Any thoughts on this story?

Tattered romance

And how does Ms. Hempel's emerging understanding of all the affairs at her school and her own breakup with Amit affect her point of view regarding Ms. Duffy's experience?

And this perplexing ending: "... still she returned to the bathroom at Mooney’s, to its perfect mystery, to the moment when Mr. Polidori had wrapped his arms around her like a bear. That moment in which someone had made a decision. She wanted to remember how it felt."

(I really loved the description of how Ms. Duffy danced at the bar, how they were all there in the harsh light of afternoon but hidden in the freeing darkness of the bar ... I like how Ms. Hempel always seems rather amazed that anyone can get over anything that was once important).

Disillusioned

What do you make of Ms. Hempel's reaction when she finds out that "the father of Ms. Duffy’s baby was an American, whom she’d met in the courtyard of an ugly condominium" rather than an exotic Mideasterner, and that Ms. Duffy's sudden quietness was explained not by a romantic adventure abroad but by being in upstate New York with food sickness?

The title

Any theories on why the story is called "Yurt"?

Yurt

This story offers us more about Ms. Hempel's fellow teachers and their social interactions than we've seen before.

I'm sort of coming up empty on this story. Does anybody have any thoughts on it?

Crossing

This story explores origins, and Ms. Hempel's Chinese-American heritage is revealed. Ms. Hempel seems somewhat conflicted about that heritage. She seems to want to downplay that part of her identity. But she also feels guilty about passing up the opportunity to interview her grandmother about her immigration and failing to learn Mandarin as she had planned.

What do you think captivated her so much about the colonist re-enactors?

Creep

What did you make of this story? Who was this guy calling young Ms. Hempel's house every night? What was going on with her parents?

It was kind of interesting to see Ms. Hempel at the age of her current students and think about how her experiences at that age probably affect how she relates to them now.

Sandman

This was an interesting one. There seemed to be a lot going on here, from the assembly warning the kids about stranger danger to Ms. Hempel's two girlfriends to her fiance and their sexual incompatibility to the field trip and Jonathan Hamish's sand burial. What do you think was the connection between these things?

Kim's pick

I recently read a novella by Alice McDermott called "That Night" and thought it was one of the best things I had ever read about adolescence and summertime in America. The sense of nostalgia was completely sugar-free. I have high hopes for this.

Accomplice

I thought this story was really interesting in its themes about how we view ourselves, how we hope others will view us, how difficult it is to sum up a person in words.

What did you think of Ms. Hempel's idea of having the students write their own anecdotals? I thought it was sort of touching how disappointed the parents were to find out the reports weren't authentic. How eager they had been to believe that someone had finally seen in their children the same potential for greatness that they did.

Ms. Hempel

What do you think of Ms. Hempel? She thinks she's not a very good teacher -- do you agree? Do you think she likes teaching?

Talent

What were your impressions after the first story?

I really enjoyed it. The picture of middle school was so vivid, with the various kids and their awkward, emotional existence. I especially liked the miniature portraits of the different kids -- Harriet and her magic show, Edward and his boa constrictor, and especially Jonathan Hamish, whom I found really touching. I could understand why Ms. Hempel felt tender toward him.