Substitute Teacher Overview

Substitute Teacher

• Stuart agrees to be a substitute teacher for Miss Gunderson when she becomes ill.
• He dresses in more appropriate attire for teaching, swapping his motoring clothes for a jacket, trousers, tie, and spectacles.

The Substitute Arrives

• The students are excited to learn about the substitute teacher and gather in the classroom.
• Stuart arrives and uses a yardstick to climb to the top of Miss Gunderson’s desk to gather supplies.

Miss Gunderson's Illness

• Stuart invents a story about Miss Gunderson's illness, claiming she took the wrong vitamins and became overloaded with nutrients.
• He warns the children to be careful with their vitamin consumption.

Class Begins

• Stuart dismisses arithmetic, spelling, and writing as subjects for the day.
• He proposes a discussion about the King of the World and suggests he would be a suitable candidate for the role.
• Stuart emphasizes that the Chairman of the World needs temperament and ability.
• Henry Rackmeyer shares his view on what is important: a shaft of sunlight, a note in music, and the smell of a baby's neck.

Substitute Teacher

• Stuart agrees to be a substitute teacher for Miss Gunderson, who is ill.
• He changes into more appropriate attire, wearing a pepper-and-salt jacket, old striped trousers, a Windsor tie, and spectacles.
• To maintain order, Stuart makes the work interesting and says he will deal with the discipline himself.
• The children are delighted to have a substitute teacher, especially one they have never met before.
• Stuart enters the classroom and uses the yardstick to climb up to the top of Miss Gunderson’s desk, where he retrieves a bell, inkwell, pointer and other items.
• Stuart rings the bell to gain the children’s attention and pretends to be a professional teacher.

Stuart's Lessons

• Stuart tells the children that Miss Gunderson is sick because she took too many vitamins.
• He dismisses arithmetic and spelling, claiming they are not important.
• He suggests they talk about something interesting instead of social studies, dismissing several ideas from students.
• Stuart proposes they talk about the King of the World, claiming that the world needs a chairman.
• He believes size is not important in being a chairman, but temperament and ability are essential.
• He calls on Henry Rackmeyer to share what he considers important, resulting in Rackmeyer's unique response.

Stuart, the Substitute Teacher

• Stuart agrees to substitute for Miss Gunderson, who is sick with an unknown ailment.
• The children are excited about having a substitute teacher.
• Stuart enters the classroom and uses a yardstick to climb to the top of Miss Gunderson’s desk.
• Stuart claims Miss Gunderson is sick due to vitamin complications.
• Stuart asserts that he will make the lessons interesting and enforce discipline.
• Stuart makes the children skip arithmetic and spelling.
• Stuart rejects the children’s suggested topics for discussion, including snakes, sin and vice, and the fat woman at the circus.
• Stuart suggests discussing the King of the World, a topic that he feels strongly about, and proposes to be the Chairman of the World.
• Stuart emphasizes the importance of temperament and ability for the Chairman of the World.
• Henry Rackmeyer suggests that "a shaft of sunlight at the end of a dark afternoon, a note in music, and the way the back of a baby’s neck smells if its mother keeps it tidy" are important things.

Stuart, the Substitute Teacher

• Stuart, a man driving a car, agrees to substitute for Miss Gunderson, the school teacher, who is ill.
• Stuart changes into more appropriate clothing, including a pepper-and-salt jacket, old striped trousers, a Windsor tie, and spectacles.
• Students are initially excited to have a substitute teacher and eager to learn about Miss Gunderson's illness.
• Stuart uses a creative explanation for Miss Gunderson's illness, claiming she has "vitamin trouble," taking different vitamins when she needed others, leading to an overload.
• Stuart introduces a playful and unconventional teaching style, skipping traditional subjects like arithmetic and spelling.
• He encourages students to buy dictionaries and emphasizes the importance of correct spelling.
• Stuart engages the class in a discussion about the importance of a "Chairman of the World" and his own aspirations to be the leader.
• He emphasizes the need for a leader with "temperament and ability" to address the world's problems.
• Henry Rackmeyer contributes a unique perspective on what is important, mentioning a shaft of sunlight, music, and a baby's scent.