The modern teacher doesn't "relax" on break. They rewrite curriculum. They answer parent emails at 10 PM. They lie awake on a Tuesday in July, convinced they heard a fire alarm. The indulgent vacation—the one with piña coladas and paperback novels—had become a cracked vessel. Burnout was leaking through.
In this reading, "patched" implies something was put together roughly or temporarily. teachers indulgent vacation patched
Mrs. Gable smiled, a rare, feral grin. "We are allowed to say 'yes' to everything. No grading. No lecturing. Just... indulging them. The Vice Principal brought in a waffle iron. We’re patching a hole in the curriculum with sugar and movies." The modern teacher doesn't "relax" on break