El Tim by Lucia Berlin

What did the five fingers say to the hand? SLAAAAAAP!

I would not be surprised if this short story was plucked directly from Lucia Berlin's real-life experiences as a Spanish teacher at a Catholic school. Known for incorporating autobiographical details into her work, El Tim feels deeply personal, especially the narrator's struggles of teaching underprivileged children and "borderline delinquents" as she bluntly puts it. The school itself is run by nuns with starkly different philosophies on discipline, adding another layer of tension.

At first, the narrator faces resistance from her students but gradually earns their respect until the return of Timothy Sanchez (aka "El Tim"), a disruptive student with a criminal past. Determined to turn the classroom into chaos, he embodies every teacher’s worst nightmare. Tensions escalate between the teacher and her defiant students, culminating in a shocking climax where she quite literally slaps some sense into him.

As a slice-of-life narrative, it's a quick read but ultiamtely feels like a lesser entry in Berlin's body of work. Though engaging in the moment, it lacks the emotional depth and dark humor that make Berlin’s writing so impactful.