Thursday, April 25, 2019

Oversight

No one was more surprised than I was when I walked into my classroom yesterday morning to find a total stranger peeling off my word a day calendar page. "Uhhhhhh," I stuttered. "Do I have a sub today?"

The woman looked at me brightly, but without comprehension. She continued updating my calendar. My desk was kind of a mess. I was confused. Gradually, the situation became clear to me: I had a doctors appointment which I rescheduled, but I forgot to cancel the sub. "I'm so sorry," I started when I realized my mistake.

"Don't be," the woman said before I could finish. And then she introduced herself to me as a parent of former students. She professed an abiding love for our school and all who worked there. She did not let me explain the situation.

"Um, I'll be right back," I said and headed to the office. The secretary in charge of substitutes was very understanding.

"Send her to me," she said, "and I'll put her to work."

Back in my room, students were starting to arrive. Again, I tried to apologize and explain. The substitute nodded, and continued wandering around the room, offering complimentary comments about the furnishings. The announcements came on; she sat down at a table.

The phone rang; it was the secretary. "Did you send her to the office?" she asked.

"I tried," I said quietly, "but she's not leaving."

"I'll be right there to give her the schedule," she assured me.

A minute later, she entered my room, spoke quietly to the substitute, and led her away.

I sighed in relief, and promised myself to never make that mistake again.

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