Disclaimer: I own nothing of CSI
Guest Teacher
"Jasmine how was school today?" Jackie asked her as they sat down to eat.
Jackie had an after school meeting so she didn't get home until dinner time and Nick was nice enough to order a pizza so she wouldn't have to cook.
"Good, I got all the answers right on my math worksheet." The child answered happily.
"You did! That is awesome, good job!." Jackie praised.
"Miss Masters put a sticker on it." She told Jackie proudly.
"Wow! Did you bring it home to show us?" Jackie asked her.
"No, Miss Masters said tomorrow she put it in our mailbox."
"Oh ok, we'll get to see it tomorrow." Jackie told her with a smile.
"And Houston how was school for you today little buddy?" Jackie asked him.
"Not good mama." He said sadly.
"Why not bud, you love school." Jackie said.
Houston came home happy and excited to tell them about his day, every day, today was the first day he seemed sad after school.
"Miss Pauley was not there today and the teacher was mean mama." He told her.
"Sweetheart, I'm sorry, what did she do that was mean?"
"Her yell at us and we had to walk the square at recess time, everybody had to do it, me to." He explained as tears welled in his little eyes.
"Oh sweetheart, I'm sorry, do you know the guest teacher's name?"
Jackie knew Chelsea Hanson was usually the guest teacher and the kids loved her, Jasmine included, as well as Jackie's own class of students, she couldn't imagine that she was mean. In fact, in the past Jackie's students had asked Jackie to stay home for a day just so Chelsea could be their teacher.
"No, me not know her name." Houston told her.
"Ok, I'm sorry you had a bad day kiddo, but Miss Pauley will be back tomorrow alright?" Jackie assured him.
"Ok." He said brightening a little bit.
The next morning before the students got to school that day Jackie was at her desk finishing cutting out paper she'd need for an art project the kids were going to do that day.
"Morning Jackie." Came a friendly voice.
"Good morning Chelsea." Jackie called across the hallway.
"Hey Chels, come here a second." Jackie said.
"Ok, just let me put my stuff down and I'll be right there."
Moments later Chelsea walked into her room.
"Hey, did you work yesterday?" Jackie asked.
"Yeah, I was Karen Burns in third grade yesterday, why, did you need me yesterday?" Chelsea asked.
"No, Houston said he had a really mean guest teacher yesterday and I couldn't imagine that you were mean, I was going to ask if the whole class misbehaved. Houston said that she yelled at them and made them walk the square, he was really upset about it, he was in tears."
"Oh, I'm sorry, Kayla (Miss Pauley) asked me if I'd sub for her yesterday but I was already committed to Karen, I am going to be Kayla's sub for the morning tomorrow though."
"That's good, I hate to think that his first experience with a sub was that bad though."
"Yeah, I remember when I was little I was always afraid of guest teachers." Chelsea answered.
"I was too." Jackie agreed.
"Well I better go let you read over your lesson plans for the day, have a good day, if you need anything give me a holler." Jackie told her.
"Ok thanks I will, have a good day." Chelsea said before she walked back across the hall to the classroom she was subbing in.
"Mama me not want to go to school tomorrow." Houston told Jackie as she got him ready for bed that night.
"Why not sweetheart?" Jackie asked.
"Because we have another guest teacher, I don't want to go, I don't want to walk the square." He told her.
"You know what buddy, I know your guest teacher tomorrow and she is so nice, mommy's students love her, and so does Jasmine."
Houston didn't really believe her.
"Jasmine, come here sweetheart." Jackie called.
Jasmine walked into Houston's room.
"Jazz, tell Houston about Miss Hanson." Jackie told her.
"Her nice Houston. Her funny, and we get candy." She told her little brother.
That got Houston to smile.
"I'll tell you what sweetheart, you go to school tomorrow and give Miss Hanson a chance and if you really don't like her I'll let you call your grandma and she'll come get you ok?"
"Ok." Houston replied.
The next morning before walking down to her classroom Jackie stopped at the office.
"Hey Sarah, I have a favor to ask." Jackie told the secretary Sarah Caldwell.
Jackie explained what had happened with Houston's sub and she asked if she would check on him about an hour after school started to see how he was doing and if he wanted to go home she asked her if she would please call Houston's grandma to come get him.
She agreed.
"Thank you." Jackie said gratefully before she walked down to her own room.
About an hour after school started Sarah kept her word to Jackie and walked down to Miss Pauley's classroom.
"Hi Mrs. Caldwell." The kids said as she poked her head into the room.
"Hi guys!" She answered cheerfully.
The kids were sitting in a circle getting ready to listen to a story.
"Can I see Houston for a minute?" She asked.
"Sure." Chelsea answered with a smile.
Houston got up and went over to her.
Sarah led Houston out into the hallway.
"Are you having a good day buddy or do you want to go home?" She asked the little boy.
"I want to stay! Miss Hanson is funny, and she is going to read us a story, and we get candy because we are doing a good job." He said happily.
"Ok sweetheart, I am so glad you are having a good day! You go enjoy your story ok?"
"Ok." Houston said.
He gave the beloved secretary a hug and then quickly went back in to rejoin his classmates for story time.
Sarah had one more stop to make before she went back to her own desk.
"Hi Mrs. Caldwell." The kids in Jackie's class all said when she walked in, and within seconds she was surrounded by kids wanting to give he a hug.
"Hi." She told all of them, giving each kid that was standing there a hug.
After the kids had went back to their desks she asked Jackie to step out into the hallway.
"Houston is just fine, he's all smiles and he wanted to stay." She told Jackie.
"Good, I'm so glad, thanks so much for doing that." Jackie said.
"You're welcome." She responded with a smile as before she started walking down the hallway.
Jackie was relieved and so very happy that Houston's fear of guest teachers was seemingly over!
The End!