Free Incandescent by Madeline Sloane Page B

until he had every scrap of evidence he needed. Evidence
Anna needed to believe him.
     
     
     
     
     
     
     

Chapter Fifteen
     
    Anna knocked on the office door and waited.
She heard the muffled response “Come in,” and turned the knob.
Behind the towering stacks of textbooks, Dr. Phoebe Allen sat at
her desk, her head wrapped in a colorful turban. Phoebe gestured
for her to enter.
     
    Anna noted the shadows under her bloodshot
eyes and the pale cheeks.
    “I have a question about assigning the
students a project and I wondered if I could talk to you about it,”
Anna said.
    She sat at Phoebe’s nod and waited. The
woman’s dry lips curled into a feeble smile and she cleared her
throat. She lifted a glass of water with shaking hands.
    “Are you alright? Is this a bad time? I can
come back,” Anna said, starting to rise.
    Phoebe shook her head and started coughing.
She lifted a tissue to her mouth. “There won’t be a better time,”
she said in a rueful tone.
    Anna sank back into the chair and stared at
Phoebe, her mouth agape.
    “I have stage four breast cancer, my dear,”
Phoebe said. “Yesterday was a bad day at chemo.”
    Tears pricked Anna’s eyes. Her new friend was
dying? Anna had never met anyone who made her feel the way Dr.
Allen did. She was a kindred spirit, a laughing and loving person
filled with brilliance and kindness. She couldn’t die!
    Phoebe leaned forward, clasping her fingers
before her to control the trembling. “Tell me about the project.
How can I help you?”
    Anna shook her head. “No, it’s not important.
Is there anything I can do for you?”
    Phoebe laughed gently. “Believe me, it’s
important or you wouldn’t be here. All you can do for me is let me
do my job. Let me be as normal as possible for as long as I can.
Now, what would you like to do?”
    So Anna explained to her supervisor her idea
for assigning a major project instead of having a final exam. “I
believe the students can learn more by working on an authentic
project. The students will create a marketing and advertising plan
for a local non-profit organization, one of their choosing.”
    Anna explained how she worked in the
advertising field and many of the small town’s organizations
couldn’t afford her services, despite needing them to stay
competitive and raise funds.
    “They will work with the groups, getting to
know the people and their goals. Next, they’ll translate each
group’s mission into a graphic design project,” she said. “They’ll
create business cards, brochures, posters, and a web site. I’ll
teach them how to use the department’s digital cameras to take
product photos and head shots, and we’ll use the video cameras to
create short infomercials. In fact, the complete semester will be
an interactive learning opportunity, which results in their
completing the course, and produces a usable product for a
charity.”
    By the end of Anna’s impassioned speech,
Phoebe Allen was smiling, dimples showing in her plump cheeks. She
clapped. “Bravo! It’s a wonderful plan. You have my permission to
‘freelance’ the students. I realize this is a deviation from the
syllabus Renalda provided, but as long as the students learn how to
use the appropriate software and perform the tasks required of
them, it doesn’t matter how they accomplish this. Too often,
instructors rely upon busywork and students will complete the
course without any real-world knowledge. I think your idea is
grand. Proceed.”
    Exhausted, Phoebe sat back in her large
office chair and regarded Anna. After several seconds, she spoke.
“I know my illness distresses you,” she said, waving a hand in
dismissal. “I’ve been battling this disease for more than ten
years. I’m not giving up; however, I’m so tired. I’ve accomplished
much in my career as a humble poet here at Marshall. More than my
published books or literary prizes, I treasure the students we’ve
helped become well-educated adults. I count you