BSC122 - Kristy in Charge - Martin, Ann M.

    Chapter 1.

    I sat forward at my desk and gave Ms. Garcia my complete attention. She's my homeroom teacher, and what she was telling our class this morning was extremely interesting to me.

    "This year the Stoneybrook Board of Education has worked with other schools in southern Connecticut and has come up with a new program called TOT - Teachers of Tomorrow. For three days student volunteers will be teaching some classes in place of the teachers," she told us.

    Yess! I thought. My friends call me Kristy Thomas, the Idea Machine, and I guess the name fits. Instantly, I was thinking of a million ways Stoneybrook Middle School (otherwise known as SMS) could be improved.

    I raised my hand. "Yes, Kristy?" Ms. Garcia said.

    "Is Mr. Taylor's job available?" "You want to be the principal?" Ms. Garcia asked with a smile.

    The class laughed. I was slightly embarrassed, but I just grinned and shrugged.

    What's wrong with wanting to be in charge? I couldn't think of anyone else in the eighth grade better equipped for the job. After all, I have experience in running things. I formed a softball team for little kids called Kristy's Krushers. And I'm founder and president of the Baby-sitters Club. I'll tell you more about that later, but for now let me say that the BSC (as we call it) is more than a club. It's a very successful business.

    "I don't think the principal's job is open," Ms. Garcia said. "But let me tell you how this is going to work." Ms. Garcia went on to explain that any kid who was interested could volunteer to student teach. That would involve teaching in another class every other day for a week (three times total). We'd have to go through a teacher training course and submit prepared lesson plans, just like a real teacher does.

    A troubling thought hit me. Did I look enough like a teacher to control a class of SMS kids? For one thing, I'm only five feet tall, which makes me the smallest kid in my grade. And I don't look particularly sophisticated. No makeup. No jewelry. I wear my long brown hair plain and like no-fuss clothes such as jeans, sweatshirts, and sweaters.