Wayside School had an exceptionally large playground. Louis, the yard teacher, was way over on the other side of it when he happened to see Sharie fall out the window. He ducked under the volleyball net, hurtled past the kickball field, hopped over the hopscotch court, climbed through the monkey bars, sped across the grass, and caught Sharie just before she hit the ground.
The people in Mrs. Jewls’s class cheered.
Sharie woke up in Louis’s arms.
“Darn it, Louis,” she said. “What did you go and wake me up for?”
“I’m sorry, Sharie,” said Louis.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” Sharie repeated. “Is that all you can say? I was having a wonderful dream until you woke me up. You’re always bothering me, Louis. I can’t stand it.” She laughed and hugged him around the neck.
Louis carried her back up thirty flights of stairs to Mrs. Jewls’s room.
That evening, when Sharie went to bed, she was unable to fall asleep. She just wasn’t tired.
? Sideways Stories from Wayside School ?
5
Todd
All of the children in Mrs. Jewls’s class, except Todd, were talking and carrying on. Todd was thinking. Todd always thought before he spoke. When he got an idea, his eyes lit up.
Todd finished thinking and began to speak. But before he said two words, Mrs. Jewls called him.
“Todd,” she said, “you know better than to talk in class. You must learn to work quietly, like the other children.” She wrote his name on the blackboard under the word DISCIPLINE.
Todd looked around in amazement. All of the other children, who had been talking and screaming and fighting only seconds earlier, were quietly working in their workbooks. Todd scratched his head.
A child was given three chances in Mrs. Jewls’s class. The first time he did something wrong, Mrs. Jewls wrote his name on the blackboard under the word DISCIPLINE. The second time he did something wrong, she put a check next to his name. And the third time he did something wrong, she circled his name.
Todd reached into his desk and pulled out his workbook. He had only just started on it when he felt someone tap him on the shoulder. It was Joy.
“What page are you on?” Joy asked.
“Page four,” Todd whispered.
“I’m on page eleven,” said Joy.
Todd didn’t say anything. He didn’t want to get into trouble. He just went back to work.
Five minutes later, Joy tapped him again. Todd ignored her. So Joy poked him in the back with her pencil. Todd pretended he didn’t notice. Joy got up from her seat and sharpened her pencil. She came back and poked it in Todd’s back. “What page are you on?” she asked.
“Page five,” Todd answered.
“Boy, are you dumb,” said Joy, “I’m on page twenty-nine.”
“It isn’t a race,” Todd whispered.
Five minutes later Joy pulled Todd’s hair and didn’t let go until he turned around. “What page are you on?” she demanded.
“Page six,” Todd answered as quietly as he could.
“I’M ON PAGE TWO HUNDRED!” Joy shouted.
Todd was very angry. “Will you please let me do my work and stop bothering me!”
Mrs. Jewls heard him. “Todd, what did I say about talking in class?”