No. 144

“I am not good at drawing animals or humans,” said the substitute art teacher. “I’m only filling in for Mrs. Hache.”

One of the students raised their hand.

“Yes?” the teacher called on her.

“What can you draw?” she asked him.

“Not much,” he admitted. “Mostly stick-people.”

A boy spoke up from the back of the room. “Can we have a free period? I need to finish my math homework,” he explained.

The teacher considered it for a moment. “No,” he declared. Then he took a moment to consider his options. “But I’ll tell you what you can do. You can have a free-drawing class.”

He sat down on the edge of Mrs. Hache’s desk as he continued to explain his plan. “You have an hour and nine minutes remaining in this block. I want everyone to get something on paper. There are no rules about the content, and you can use any supplies you can find in this room.”

A surprised murmur spread throughout the room. The students all looked at each other in wonderment.

“Mrs. Hache always tells us what to draw. And we’re only allowed to use supplies from the red cabinet,” one of the less-popular students said nervously.

The teacher shook his head. “Mrs. Hache isn’t here right now. Go for it.”

The students all got to work on their new projects. The teacher leaned back in Mrs. Hache’s chair and surreptitiously texted his wife.

“You’ve got a pretty sweet chair, but your kids are all kinda nerds,” he typed out. Then Mr. Hache hit send.