The Substitute
Being a substitute teacher has to be one of the most awkward and thankless jobs imaginable. There’s really no way to be prepared, because chances are you got called at 5:30 that morningto show up in front of a bunch of ornery adolescents.
But none of that stopped the writer Nicholson Baker from signing up to be a substitute teacher in Maine, where he lives. His new book, “Substitute: Going to School with a Thousand Kids,”chronicles 28 days he spent filling in for elementary, middle, and high school teachers.
For Studio 360, Baker read an excerpt about one of those days, when he taught an eighth-grade English class.
The story you just read is available to read for free because thousands of listeners and readers like you generously support our nonprofit newsroom. Every day, the reporters and producers at The World are hard at work bringing you human-centered news from across the globe. But we can’t do it without you: We need your support to ensure we can continue this work for another year.
When you make a gift of $10 or more a month, we’ll invite you to a virtual behind-the-scenes tour of our newsroom to thank you for being with The World.