The last day of school.

It was always such a milestone. After ten months of wandering in and out of the halls, in and out of his room, in and out of the student body, Kakashi, no matter how many years he did this, couldn't quite believe he'd reached the end of the year.

Classes were reduced to fifteen minutes each, for students to do their last minute socializing; say their goodbyes (or good riddance's) and share summer plans and the like. After that the grades piled into their respective corners for awards ceremonies. They had tried the entire school on occasion, but never with any success, so the grades were separated out. This year the seventh grade was cycled to the auditorium, and as the other team poured the students in and got them seated, Kakashi's team stood around on the stage, going over last minute details. Kakashi himself was waiting in the wings. They'd all agreed that he would arrive "late" like he always did.

Finally, everyone was seated. The other team went first, the team leader saying a few words before listing off her awards and their recipient. The grade politely clapped and less than politely cheered and whistles as various students Kakashi only vaguely recognized walked up onto the stage, shaking hands with each of the teachers before taking a certificate and a handshake from the team leader. After perhaps a half hour of this, it was Kakashi's turn, so he waited in the wings.

Asuma went up to the podium, adjusting the mike. "Yeah, we'll get started as soon as Kakashi-sensei shows up," he said lightly.

The auditorium giggled slightly at the joke, and while his team made various annoyed looks, check their watches, and pretended to wait, Kakashi gauged the audience. When they were just beginning to loose interest in waiting, he pulled out his book and flipped it open to a page, meandering on stage.

There was an enormous cry of "YOU'RE LATE!!"

Then, just to be precocious, he held up a hand. Making his way to the podium, he spoke to the mike, "Hang on, I'm at the best part." When he felt like it, he closed his book with a thud and put it back in his pocket. "Yo," he said, waving to the crowd. "Sorry I'm late, I found myself thinking about girls in sailor uniforms proclaiming love and justice and saving the world with ludicrous attack cries like--"

"LIAR!!" the audience shouted.

Kakashi, straight faced, shrugged and said, "If you say so."

The crowd laughed.

"Well then," the Scarecrow said, "Now that the formalities are taken care of, let's get started. This is an award ceremony. The other team has done their part, and now it's my turn. But before I say anything, I would like to make this announcement: You made this hard." He paused, giving the grade a moment to absorb his words. "The students in my team, you guys, you made it very hard to differentiate who would get one award over the other. It's a very rare grade indeed that has the teachers fighting over awards. So, that said, let's get the mundane ones out of the way."

There were a lot of grade-based awards: highest quarter grade award per subject, highest semester grade per subject, etc.

"And now the fun ones," Kakashi said lightly. "We'll start with the achievement awards. Each subject looks out across their classes and determines who among you represents that subject, who produces the best work, who shines in that subject. You know," he added, "our favorite students." The crowd giggled slightly. "Okay then, for science, we have a student that not everybody sees, but does her hardest nonetheless. She's a student who can often be seen in Kurenai-sensei's room after school, textbook open and pouring over her notebook. The Science Achievement Award goes to... Hyuga Hinata."

The grey-eyed girl, hidden deep inside the audience, was absolutely still with shock. Kiba, next to her, was howling at the top of his lungs and slapping her shoulder, urging her to get up.

Kurenai broke all protocol and gave her a large hug when she finally arrived on stage. She made her way through the line of teacher and shook Kakashi's hand as he handed her the certificate.

"Next up," he said, going back to the mike, "is the Math Achievement Award. I'm sure this student is going to find it very 'troublesome.'" Several students realized who it was and made the appropriate noise, but Kakashi pressed on. "But, he moved on to eighth grade math and spent most of his SSR in Asuma-sensei's room, sharpening his skills playing go and shogi. The Math Achievement Award goes to... Nara Shikamaru."

Said boy got up and trudged to the stage, a dour scowl on his face. He gave the quickest of handshakes as he went up to Kakashi. "You're right," he said, "This is too troublesome."

"Careful," Kakashi replied. "The mike is on."

He scowled and went back to his seat.

"Social Studies was a tough call. We know how you all love Gai-sensei so much," Kakashi said. The audience laughed, because Gai was unanimously considered the strange teacher (and next to Kakashi, that was quite a feat) and several had a hard time taking him seriously. "But, there was one student who was always first to take part in a debate, quick to go first for a presentation, and always had her hand raised. The Social Studies Achievement Award goes to... Yamanaka Ino."

The grade erupted into applause, the popular girl already putting on a bright smile as she waved to everyone as she went up to the stage, laughing and blowing kisses like she was a politician. Her mask didn't slip in the slightest when she took the certificate from Kakashi, but she was audacious enough to step in front of the mike and shout a, "Thanks, everyone!" before taking her seat.

"Next of course is the English Achievement Award," Kakashi said. He leaned onto the podium and put his chin in his fist. "I had a hard time," he drawled. "The volume of good work I had this year was so large I was overwhelmed. In fact, this was the first time I had a tie." The crowd immediately started whispering, wondering whom it was. "It's a set of three - though that's no surprise. They came together and bonded quickly at the beginning of the year, and they have continually blown me over with the quality of work that they produce. It's of high school quality, and I've seen them perform monumental feats over the course of the year, both academically and personally. The English Achievement Award goes to... F Period Team Seven: Haruno Sakura, Uchiha Sasuke, and Uzumaki Naruto."

Three said students had been, apparently, sitting together, because Kakashi saw all three of them stand as one. Sakura and Naruto were jumping up and down, the latter screeching to the top of his lungs. Sasuke tried to look cool about it, but there was a rather large grin on his face. Naruto was hopping up and down on the stage, shaking the other teacher's hands quickly before virtually pouncing on Kakashi. "We did it! We did it!!" he was shouting. "This is so cool!" Sakura soon followed, hugging the English teacher. Sasuke just inclined his head and took the certificate.

"That's one of the best reactions I've seen," he said to the mike. "Next up are the more specialized awards, first of which are two awards for the students who've turned around and improved themselves over the course of the year. For Most Improved in One Subject, the Award goes to Inuzuka Kiba."

Said boy, perhaps determined to outdo Naruto in volume, could be heard across the auditorium. He jumped a few times before delicately stepping over Hinata and leapt onto the stage to receive his award.

"Next is Most Improved in All Subjects. This particular student, I'm told, had failed several of his subjects last year. He's gone on to get an A in my class and improved by entire letters in other subjects; and I'm sure he'll be very loud when he hears his name. Most Improved in All Subjects goes to... Uzumaki Naruto."

The boy, if possible, was even louder than Kiba, running up to the stage and again jumping up and down as he shook hands with the teachers. Like Ino, he grabbed the mike, "Take that, Kiba!" he shouted.

"You mangy mutt!" the boy growled in the crowd. "I'll get you next year!!"

"Fat chance, dog boy!" And Naruto leapt off the stage.

"The next award is one of mine," Kakashi said after he meticulously checked his microphone for damage. "It's the Voracious Reader Award. You all probably already know who it is, he's always seen with a book in his hands, even if he's working with his team or doing another assignment. Whenever there's a free minute in class, he'll open the book up and snag a few paragraphs before getting back to work. He's also probably the only student here who knows what voracious means. The Voracious Reader Award goes to... Aburame Shino."

The boy got up quietly through the applause and stoically took his certificate.

"Next up is an award for a student who always speaks her mind, always expresses and opinion, and occasionally manages to stay on topic," he added with a wry grin. "Most Vocal Student Award goes to... Yamanaka Ino."

The seventh grade erupted again, and the girl took even longer to wave and smile and kiss at her fans as she made her way to the stage. She tried to take the microphone again, but Kakashi smartly put it behind his back, making the grade laugh as she made a few grabs for it. The huff lasted for a fraction of a second before the bright smile reappeared, and she went back to her seat.

"Now we hit the 'Most' awards," Kakashi said. "Having said that, the first award doesn't have 'most' in the title. It's the Good Citizenship Award, going to the student who has gone above and beyond - not in any measurable feat like grades or homework or teamwork, but in something more intangible: the ability to repeatedly do the right thing. This student has stood up for people, protected people, returned things to their rightful owners, and is always there to help people. I've used him myself several times over the course of the year, as have other teachers. The Good Citizenship Award goes to... Uzumaki Naruto."

Team 7 jumped up, Sakura clapping and screaming while Sasuke just clapped. Naruto was wide eyed at first, having clearly not expected to hear his name again. But as Sasuke was tugging him out to the aisle, it dawned on him what was happening, and the largest grin Kakashi had ever seen spread across his face. He was actually gracious as he shook hands and accepted the award. The demure attitude didn't last long, however, as he gave a shriek of a cheer as he leapt off the stage yet again and ran back to his seat.

"Next award doesn't have 'most' in its title, either, but it is perhaps the most important award to give. Hardest Worker is an award that goes to students that always put their best foot forward, that are always trying. They might never get the good grades, they might never get the high honors, but we recognize them. Hardest Worker Award goes to... Hyuga Hinata."

The girl was positively trembling. Kiba had to help her up to the stage, Hinata looked ready to faint. She very nearly did when she realized that Sakura and (more specifically) Naruto were cheering her on, congratulating her and shouting how great she was to the top of their lungs. Even Shino was standing up, clapping his hands above his head for her. She mumbled an inaudible "Thank you," as she shook Kakashi's hand and accepted the certificate.

"Outside of the intangibles, of course, we also have to praise students who shine as students, kids who excel academically across all fields because they love to learn. These are the students who love asking questions, pursue deeper knowledge, and are a joy to teach. This year's Most Enthusiastic Learner Award goes to... Haruno Sakura."

Kakashi waited until the girl, smiling brightly, had just taken her seat before she continued, "Another joy to teach is the Most Conscientious Student. This is the student who looks out for their teammates. She'll loan out a spare pencil, or dig out an eraser or piece of paper. This is the student who will bravely point out a math mistake on the board, or tentatively ask for an extension when she notices that none of the students are going to make the deadline. Most Conscientious Student Award goes to... again, Haruno Sakura."

The girl had obviously just gotten comfortable, and Kakashi enjoyed the slightly perturbed look on her face as it tried to blend in with her happy glow as she came up to the stage.

"Along with being an Enthusiastic Learner or a Conscientious Student, we also have the Most Thoughtful Student Award." Kakashi watched as Sakura frowned, trying to determine if she should get comfortable or not. "The student we picked for this year isn't who you'd normally think; he's too busy being 'cool' to let his thoughtfulness show. But we teachers saw it, and so the Most Thoughtful Student Award goes to... Uchiha Sasuke."

The girls erupted into screams and swoons, and the boy looked wholly annoyed by the attention. But that didn't stop a small smile as he looked to Sakura and Naruto, and a respectful nod of his head to Kakashi when he was up on the stage to accept the award. Kakashi covered the mike and whispered, "You deserve it." The smile grew before he controlled his features again, and Sasuke took his seat.

"Next up is an award we initiated just last year. We weren't sure if anyone would make it this year, but we're happy to say that somebody's disposition did improve. For the student who improved his attitude, the Most Improved Disposition Award goes to... Akimichi Chouji."

This was another boy who didn't expect an award. There was a spray of potato chips as the boy immediately spit out his snack of choice. Shikamaru, sitting with him, had a sly grin on his face as the boy stood up, shocked, and stumbled his way through the seats and down the aisle. He still wore a look of wonder as he shook hands with the teachers and accepted the award.

"Another 'Most' award goes to the student who sticks his neck out for his friends, who goes to the matt for them - sometimes literally - who sticks up for his friends no matter what. So the Most Loyal Award goes to... Inuzuka Kiba."

The boy was howling again, jumping up and down after Hinata hugged him, and he ran up to the stage before tripping spectacularly on the stairs. He recovered quickly however, and leapt back to his feet to shake hands again. When he got to Kakashi he took the microphone. "And you thought there'd be no comedy!" he cried out to the seventh grade, and everyone laughed.

"A new award," Kakashi said, "that we started this year is the Most Democratic Award. This goes to the student who is great for diffusing conflict, for speaking out on behalf of certain students to prevent fights, or stepping in and stopping a fight himself. Most Democratic Award goes to... Aburame Shino."

The boy was still stoic, but Kiba and even the ever-shy Hinata made up for it by standing up and clapping, Kiba again shouting.

"The last 'Most' award doesn't have a 'most' in it, but it's the award that goes to the student who, after the course of a school year as grueling as this one has been, can still remain positive. The Best Attitude Award goes to - and I'm sorry you have to get up again... Haruno Sakura."

Team 7 was cheering again. Sakura, with her handful of awards that she'd received, walked quickly up to the stage, glowing with happiness. Before she left, Asuma was able to grab her as Kakashi started to speak again. "The last two awards don't really need any explanation," he was saying. "They go to the Valedictorian and the Saledictorian, the two top students of the grade. So please, give a round of applause to Haruno Sakura and Uchiha Sasuke."

It was obvious whom the crowd was cheering for. The girls' voices were ear splitting as Sasuke, annoyed, stepped up onto the stage to receive his certificate with Sakura. She wasn't being booed exactly, but certain glares from certain students could not be overlooked. But it was the last day of school, and even something like this could not ruin the positive mood of the students.

"Would everyone who received an award come up on stage, so we can all give a round of applause?"

The stage became very crowded very quickly, almost thirty students across two teams trying to be in front. Everyone was waving and cheering and screaming and clapping. Kakashi hadn't felt this good in months. He let the moment hang for as long as he dared, soaking up the positive feelings and letting the students shine. But finally, he waved his hands to get their attention.

"Well, now that we're all hoarse," he said. "I think it's time we got some ice cream at the cafeteria."

The student body whole-heartedly agreed, and they piled out of the auditorium and into the cafeteria, where the rest of the school was gathering, piecemeal, for the ice cream social. Flavors of all kinds were available, and once Kakashi got his vanilla cup with chocolate syrup and sprinkles, he wandered over to Gai and Iruka who were by the doors.

"Aren't you hoarse?" Iruka asked, licking his cone.

"I could have gone on longer," Kakashi said, flipping open his book. "What time is it, anyway?"

"Just about noon, the buses will be here in half an hour," the special education teacher explained.

"Not a bad day," the Scarecrow observed.

"Indeed no! These youths have shown energy of the highest caliber, this day!"

"That's because it's the last day of school," the ever-cynical Iruka said.

They watched the students eat their ice cream, and it wasn't long before Kakashi spied and interesting group making their way to all the teachers. "Isn't that about half my F period?" he asked.

Indeed, it was. Teams 7, 8, and 10 were making their way to the trio, having finished their ice cream and still clutching their awards. "Sensei!" Naruto said, racing ahead and getting to the trio first. "Sensei, it was my idea!"

"Shut up Naruto!" Ino said. Her eyes were still wary of Kakashi, but she kept a demure smile. "We all got together and decided that you teachers need awards, too," she tried again.

Gai was already moved to tears.

"For Most Helpful Teacher," Sakura said, "Iruka-sensei!" Kiba came forward and handed the special education teacher a construction paper award, covered in glitter and star stickers. "For Most Energetic Teacher: Gai-sensei!"

"Alas! I am moved! Words cannot express the gratitude that compels me to shed tears of happiness! I am speechless!"

Kakashi bit back the half-dozen retorts that came to mind, simply because he didn't want to ruin Gai's moment as Chouji gave the Green Beast his award.

"And Most Conscientious Teacher: Kakashi-sensei!!" Hinata held out the construction paper masterpiece and Kakashi took it gratefully, admiring the glittery letters and the cutout stars and tissue paper flowers. He smiled amply.

"Thank you," he said simply.

It wasn't long afterward that Shizune made the announcement. "Please excuse the interruption. The buses are here. Students please get on your buses."

It was, perhaps, the best tradition the school had. The students piled outside and onto the buses, and the teachers followed suit, trailing out to the grounds and crowding together along with the principal, vice principal, the secretaries, etc. Every adult in the building crowded together. Asuma and Kurenai appeared from somewhere, holding their Most Awesome Room and Nicest Teacher awards respectively. The kids were still shouting back and forth at each other, clamoring to get a decent section of the windows facing the teachers, lowering them and sticking their hands out to wave.

The buses started, and as one the teachers raised their hands, waving goodbye to the students as they disappeared for another summer, waving goodbye to the memories, good and bad, as the summer buffer began and they would start the year anew. The students waved back, some offering the "finger" salute and some mooning the faculty, but most of them just waved, shouting "Goodbye!" and "We'll miss you!" and "See you next year!"

The faculty followed the buses a little bit, trailing after the giant wheels as they pulled out of the school and onto the roads. The walking students were still waving, some kept looking back every few feet until they turned to a new street or crested a hill, and still the faculty kept waving, until there was no one left to wave to.

Kakashi took a deep breath, the warm summer air filling his lungs, filled with the scent of ice cream and trees.

"It was a good year," he said to no one in particular.

This thing started off as a challenge, one Saturday night last summer when we were discussing High School fics, how awful they were in portrayal of teachers, how they never get the whole school-atmosphere right, how the stories always follow the same line with bullying and drama-trauma-drama with a heavy dose of romance mixed in. One of us (we don't remember who) postulated that maybe we should do one, since, being teachers, we'd actually be able to get something done right. Nartuo was about the only show that had a large enough cast of both adults and students, and thus, Team Time was born. It's absolutely SHOCKING how easily everything came together and fell into place. The "stereotypical" characters of school were easily distributed to the Naruto cast, with Ino and Temari as the socialites, Hinata as the struggling student, Naruto having ADHD, Sakura would be bullied (the realistic way, not the dramatized fictional way), etc. The more we discussed, the more we realized that we could use this little fic to explain how schools REALLY could be, instead of the geeks-v-jocks or click-picking-on-misunderstood that just DOESN'T happen that way. We discussed a lot of our work in urban schools and the issues they face. It's amazing how in high school fics nobody has any disabilities. Everyone is either popular or a complete outcast. Teachers only throw students together randomly for plot purposes for no good reason, or worse, never notice what's going on right under their noses. The more we talked, the more we thought we could teach through this story about what some people have to face. Kiba working in a kennel and being homeless, Chouji with a drug problem (given his abject fear of the chakra pills), Sasuke being abused by Itachi, Naruto in the foster system.

Everything just... WORKED.

So last year, around this time, we started writing. Amazed how stories we've heard and experienced fit in so neatly. We finished last Thanksgiving. And what a stunning SHOCK reviewer response has been. We're authors who don't get many reviews. In our normal fandom of Ronin Warriors, we're well known, but not well reviewed. As such, we weren't really expecting much with this story. We expected the usual "gr8t, upd8 soon, luv it". We couldn't gauge how readers would take this. It's a middle school fic, not a high school fic. We stated in the very first chapter that we wouldn't be doing any outright coupling because we didn't want to isolate any fans. That's what readers want, right? A high school fic with a romance developing between their One True Pairing. We weren't doing that at all, so we didn't think we'd get that much in the way of reviews over at Fanfiction.net.

But the number of people who were able to RELATE to certain arcs, who were AFFECTED by what we wrote, and kept coming back each chapter to review. 0.o We're amazed. We continue to be amazed. We got long and thoughtful reviews. We NEVER get long and thoughtful reviews... And the numbers! We're averaging around 10-15 reviews a chapter in the last part of the year. We mean WOW! You readers AND reviewers are FANTASTIC. We've seemed to even convince a few of you to go into teaching. ...WOW!

...

Ultimately, this story is a teaching tool. A chance for you, as readers and writers, to see how a school system actually works. Most people have the "Motel 6" experience. If you've graduated, you must know everything. We hope this opened your eyes a bit. Teachers are exteremely busy people beyond just grading and lesson plans. You notice how Kakashi was in charge of three different after-school clubs? Student Council, Homework Club, and the Book Club. Some teachers, like Gai, are coaches. There are also comittees for any changes that might be being discussed, such as curriculum, scheduling, meeting NCLB standards, etc. To say nothing of the meetings, phone calls, and emails with parents. It's no wonder teachers are usually at school loooong after that final bell has rung. We've put in a lot through Kakashi's point of view on what a teacher's job is like and we hope some of you potential writers have learned from it.

Similarly, we've done a lot for school culture. School Spirit Week, holidays, projects, dances (on a rare occasion), and how rumors spread. Schools do have clicks, and there are disagreements between students, but it's not the outright physical itimidation that movies and TV shows glorify. It's a lot subtler. Students fight back in their own way, even when bullied. It's very, very rare that someone does nothing and follows the mantra of ignoring. It isn't unheard of, but most bullying is like what happened to Sakura. Issues outside of school affects students while in school. Sasuke's attitude stunk when he was living with Itachi, and usually reverted after an encounter with his big brother. Students can be scarred, but in poor districts, they find ways to deal and can still come out relatively healthy, though there will be triggers to any issues that they have. The way we have Sasuke in this story, he will probably view almost any change negatively for the rest of his life and see things pessimistically until he's had time to adjust to it. Hinata will always have those scars on her wrists, and while she wasn't suicidal and she will turn around nicely, she's going to have trouble maintaining self-esteem if anything completely undermines her, such as, say, losing a job. These kids will be scarred, but they'll survive.

Taking a final look back to this 36-chapter monster, there are some arcs we didn't cover very well. Kiba's being diabetic for example (after our mother's time in the hospital, we realize that we did things far too quickly), or Chouji's drug arc (we've never actually witnessed or heard a story. A lot of it was educated guess work), or other little things. But overall, the story stands up very well.

This was our teaching tool. Now it's time for YOU as writers, to test yourself.