I Should Have Known Better

I have my second graders coloring cutting and gluing. It is taking them quite a bit of time. They are chatting too. This is counseling class, I encourage socializing. I arrived five minutes early and let the substitute teacher have a break. He thanked me and hotfooted it out of there double time. The regular teacher asked if I could switch days, so she would get this break. It is not my fault she is not here at 3:30 on a Wednesday. I could not accommodate her request. I have classes at 3:30 daily. Every teacher tries to get a 3:30 spot, because we leave at 4:10. A child notices that Mr. H is gone. He is seven foot and two inches tall. He is built like a linebacker. They apparently all missed him leaving. “Where is Mr. H?” I say “I hope the aliens did not get him. Mistake! They are now arguing with each other- whether or not aliens are real. I should have known better.