Chapter 3

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When I got out of my car, I took a deep breath.  Maybe it won't be too bad, I though.  Maybe the students will appreciate me being there to help.  But it wasn't going to get any better.

"Why, hello there!" said a female raccoon when I entered the main office.  "You must be Ms. O'Cyan, right?"

"Yes, I am" I replied.

"I'm Mrs. Gabber, the assistant principal at the school," the raccoon said, and we both shook hands.  "We're really happy to have you come aboard!"

  "We're really happy to have you come aboard!"

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"Same here," I said.

"Speaking of which," Mrs. Gabber said, "I'll need to show you where to sign in.  Follow me."

Mrs. Gabber led me into an office where the staff members signed in.  She showed me a binder with the employees' signatures.  I printed my signature and ID number on the next blank line.

"Since you're at Giantside now, we'll also need to print you a new badge," Mrs. Gabber said.

In a moment, I received my new badge.  It had my name and the the high school I was at.

"The last thing you'll need is a key to your new room," said Mrs. Gabber, giving the key to the classroom.  "Good luck, Ms. O'Cyan!"

"Thanks," I said, trying to put on a smile.  But I was not going to be all smiley for the entire day.

When I began to proceed to my new classroom, I noticed something horribly wrong in the hallways: the students were not disciplined at all.

Students were beating each other to a pulp.  They brought drugs and alcohol on campus. They drank.  And worse of all, the teachers did little to nothing to help the teens make the right decisions.  No wonder the students acted out and did whatever they wanted.  I just hopped it didn't happen with my class.

When I opened the door to my new room, I put my briefcase down on the former teacher's desk and looked at her schedule.  Here's what it said:

Welcome to Giantside High School, Ms. O'Cyan!  It's a real pleasure to have you cover for me!  Here is how my schedule is:
8:30 A.M.–10:30 A.M.: 2nd & 3rd Periods (Math)
10:35 A.M.–11:05 A.M.: 4th Period & 5th Period Block A (Reading)
11:05 A.M–11:35 A.M.: Lunch Break
11:35 A.M.–12:05 P.M.: 5th Period Block C (Reading)
12:10 P.M.–2:10 P.M.: 6th & 7th Periods (Language Arts)
2:15 P.M.–2:45 P.M.: Bus Duty at the Front Loop
You do NOT have any duties until 2nd period.  Most of the students will be in your room for the entire day.  The students in 5th period will have a 30-minute lunch break during Block B.  If you have any students who are giving you trouble, call the front office at 8071 to have him/her removed.  Thanks, and have a great day!😊

Whew! I thought.  I have, like, an hour or so to relax until 8:30.

I looked around the entire room and saw that it wasn't like my kindergarten classroom.  To me, It was okay.

For the next hour, I played a few games on my phone to pass the time. 

And soon enough, it was already 8:25.  The bell rang.  Five minutes until second period.

I thought about how my new students would treat a new teacher.  Whenever there's a new teacher, students love to test the waters.  But I did my best to remain calm and think positive. 

"Well, this is it," I whispered to myself.  "Let's get this show on the road."

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