My Cardboard Balcony

The Teacher Left by Belinda Roddie The teacher left the students by themselves, and of course, all of them just went berserk, flipping tables and turning over shelves of books. They put the younger kids to work turning on the computers so they could play online games and blast loud music. One student went outside and jumped on the hood of the principal's car. She had begun an all-out riot at the school. Students poured out of their classrooms and pulled alarms, tearing up papers and sending parents and mentors alike into madness. Charms would not calm the kids, nor would sweets or tears. This day would be remembered through the years.

The projector wasn't working, so the class couldn't see the film, and they were less than thrilled. Still, the substitute, Mister Hervsheim, did his best to entertain the class. He even offered to a read a book aloud to them, but considering that he was dealing with restless and rambunctious eleven-year-olds who only wanted to stare at a screen for the whole class, the suggestion wasn't exactly received in a positive way.