I wondered which class I'd be assigned to. I was eager to know so I could start planning my lessons right away.

    It was time to move on to my first period class. Before I left homeroom, I spoke to Ms. Garcia. "I'd like to volunteer," I told her.

    "You'll have to wait until Monday," she replied. "We want to give students the weekend to think it over. We only want kids who are serious and who can give the project the time it requires." "That makes sense," I agreed. "All right. I'll sign up then." Outside in the crowded hall I saw my friend (and neighbor) Abby Stevenson hurrying to class. "Hey, Abby!" I called to her.

    She turned and waited for me. "Hi," she said. "What's up?" "This student teaching thing is going to be awesome, isn't it?" I said as we began walking together down the hall.

    'Are you going to do that?" she cried. "Why would you? It's so much extra work!" "It's also extra credit," I reminded her.

    "You get great grades. You don't need extra credit. You just want to boss kids around." And my friends say I'm too blunt.

    "No, I don't!" I objected. (Though I secretly wondered if there was a grain of truth to her comment.) A grin slowly spread across my face. "I want to boss the teachers around." "Oh, way to go," Abby said with a laugh. "How do you expect to do that?" "I want to show them how they've been messing up in their classes. Show by example, I mean." Abby rolled her eyes. "I don't know. It sounds like too much work to me. Do you still want me to come over tonight?" "Yeah," I said. "I'd love the company - and the help. David Michael and Karen don't act as goofy when someone not related to them is there." That night I was sitting for my baby sister, Emily Michelle, who is two and a half; my younger brother, David Michael (who is seven), and my stepsister, Karen (also seven). I also have two older brothers, Sam (fifteen) and Charlie (seventeen), and a stepbrother, Andrew (five), who is staying with his mother in Chicago for a few months.