Shockingly Learning

             Micah and his friends have just started their first year of high school, and have been assigned to Mrs. Willcox for Math class. Each day, their class gets disrupted by rebellious classmates misbehaving to no end and angering Mrs. Willcox, who has tried everything in her power to keep them under control, whether it’d be sending them out into the hallway, to the principal’s office, or even giving them detentions. One day, Micah takes notes in his class while Mrs. Willcox teaches her lesson with some classmates firing spitballs at Micah, who brushes them off and directs his attention to the classmates responsible. Micah gives the classmates a stern look while they laugh at him, subsequently rolling his eyes and returning his attention to his notes as Mrs. Willcox continues teaching. As Micah continues taking notes, he is suddenly hit by a wad of paper and hears laughter, drawing his attention to the source and sees the same classmates laughing at him. Micah picks up the wad of paper and raises his hand with Mrs. Willcox asking, “Yes, Micah?”

“May I go throw this away, please?” asked Micah.

“I’ll take it. Thank you.” responds Mrs. Willcox while approaching Micah. Micah gives the wad of paper to Mrs. Willcox, who throws it away on Micah’s behalf and goes on with her lesson. Micah is once again hit with spitballs and wads of paper fired by his classmates, brushing them off and activating an invisible barrier that deflects projectiles.

“Try that again. I dare you.” whispers Micah tauntingly while drawing his attention to his classmates. The classmates fire more spitballs and throw more wads of paper at Micah with the spitballs and wads of paper deflecting off of him and hitting the classmates instead.

“Ewww!” shouted the classmates out of disgust.

“Excuse me! I’m trying to teach here!” said Mrs. Willcox angrily.

“He just hit us with spitballs and wads of paper!” responds one of the classmates angrily while pointing at Micah.

“Technically, I didn’t.” says Micah while deactivating his barrier. After seeing Micah’s barrier deactivate, Mrs. Willcox draws her attention to the classmates and angrily asks, “So, you guys like shooting spitballs and throwing wads of paper, huh? You can do that all you want…OUT IN THE HALL!” The classmates angrily make their way out into the hallway with one of them angrily saying to Micah, “Thanks a lot, punk!”

“Thank yourselves! Micah had nothing to do with this!” responded Mrs. Willcox angrily. After the classmates make their way out into the hall, Mrs. Willcox resumes teaching her lesson until the bell rings, dismissing the students to their next class with Micah approaching Mrs. Willcox.

“My apologies about today, Mrs. Willcox. I didn’t mean to disrupt class.” said Micah.

“You have nothing to be sorry about, Micah. I knew it was them all along. I got to admit, though. That’s a pretty nifty invention you got there.” responded Mrs. Willcox.

“Thank you, Mrs. Willcox.” replied Micah.

“You’re welcome. See you tomorrow.” said Mrs. Willcox. Micah heads to his next class and finishes out his day at school, walking home with his friends as they talk about Mrs. Willcox and their day.

“I pity Mrs. Willcox for what she has to go through. Why can’t our class just grow up?” asked Jessica annoyingly.

“That’s a good question, Jessica. If you ever find out the answer to that, let me know.” responded Micah.

“They’ll grow out of it eventually.” said Wesley.

“Yeah, but not soon enough.” responded Sarah annoyingly. Micah and his friends go their separate ways and conclude their day at their respective homes, doing homework, playing, or conducting scientific experiments. The next day in Math class, Mrs. Willcox teaches her lessons to Micah’s class while Micah takes notes.

“Hey, Micah.” whispered a voice. Micah draws his attention to the source and sees some of his classmates staring at him.

“Real mature, you guys.” whispers Micah annoyingly while drawing his attention back to his notes.

“Micah.” whispered another voice. Micah once again turns his attention to the source and sees the same classmates staring at him again. Annoyed, Micah stares back at them mockingly for a brief moment and goes back to taking his notes until one of the classmates whispers, “Micah.” Micah activates a hologram of a scary monster staring at the classmates to their horror.

“AAAAAHHHHH!!!!!” screamed the classmates.

“Guys, what did I tell you about disrupting my class?!” asked Mrs. Willcox angrily.

“But…there was a monster!” responded one of the classmates terrifyingly.

“Oh, please! Just get out of my class!” replied Mrs. Willcox. The classmates storm out of the classroom with one of them shaking their fist at Micah, who smirks at them while he continues taking notes. After being dismissed for the day, Micah enters his laboratory and begins inventing a gadget, completing it right before bedtime. Micah brings his invention to school the next day and approaches Mrs. Willcox, who has yet again dealt with Micah’s disruptive classmates, after being dismissed from her class.

“I’ve got something for you, Mrs. Willcox.” says Micah while reaching into one of his pockets. Micah pulls out a remote and hands it over to Mrs. Willcox while saying, “I call it, the ‘Willcox Shocker’. Whenever a student is misbehaving, just point this at them and press the button to shock them mildly enough to get them under control. I hope it’ll come in handy.”

“I’ll give it a try. Thank you.” responds Mrs. Willcox while taking the remote. Micah goes off to his next class while Mrs. Willcox prepares for her’s. While Mrs. Willcox teaches her lesson, some of the students in the class start to misbehave with Mrs. Willcox pulling out Micah’s remote and pointing it at them, pressing the button and shocking the respective students.

“Ow! What was that?” asked a student.

“There’s going to be some changes around here! Everytime I catch either one of you misbehaving and disrupting my class, I’m going to shock you with this!” answers Mrs. Willcox while presenting the remote. Another student starts misbehaving and laughing while Mrs. Willcox points the remote at him and presses the button, shocking him while subsequently and angrily asking, “Anybody else?” The entire class nervously gives Mrs. Willcox their full, undivided attention while shaking their heads.

“Good! Now, let’s get back to the lesson in a mature and respectful manner…without any further interruptions!” says Mrs. Willcox while returning to her lesson. A short while later, Micah, his friends, and the rest of their class get dismissed from school for the day with Micah walking home with his friends while they talk about Mrs. Willcox.

“I can’t take it anymore! If my class gets out of control again, I’m going to scream!” said Sarah frustratingly.

“It’s no use, Sarah. They’re not going to listen. Just let them do their thing and get in trouble. That’s all on them.” responded Wesley.

“Don’t worry, guys. I have a feeling that all our troubles are over.” said Micah.

“What makes you say that?” asked Jessica.

“Because, I made a little something for Mrs. Willcox.” responded Micah. The next day in school, Wesley, Sarah, and Jessica make their way into Mrs. Willcox’s class during their respective periods, going on about their time learning their lesson until getting disrupted by misbehaving classmates. As the classmates misbehave, Mrs. Willcox points Micah’s remote at them and presses its button, shocking the classmates and getting them under control to the impression of Wesley, Sarah, and Jessica during their time in her class. Later in the day, Micah makes his way into Mrs. Willcox’s class and goes on about his time learning until also being disrupted by his class. Mrs. Willcox once again points Micah’s remote at the misbehaving classmates and presses its button, shocking and getting them under control while Micah smirks at them.

“There’s no way this could possibly go wrong.” whispered Micah to himself. As the days pass, Mrs. Willcox shocks her misbehaving students with Micah’s invention, successfully keeping them under control until one day, it all goes to her head and she starts abusing her power to the dismay of Micah and his friends. One day, while taking a test in class, Micah gets hit by a wad of paper thrown by one of his classmates and picks it up off the floor, subsequently raising his hand with Mrs. Willcox shocking him with his invention.

“No talking!” said Mrs. Willcox angrily. Disappointed, Micah lowers his hand and finishes up his test, subsequently working on other school assignments until the bell rings to dismiss the students to their next class. Micah approaches Mrs. Willcox and says, “I need to talk to you, Mrs. Willcox.”

“Make it quick. I haven’t got all day.” responded Mrs. Willcox.

“I’m glad my invention is working out for you, but…don’t you think you might be taking it a little too far?” asked Micah.

“You gave it to me. I can do whatever I want with it.” responded Mrs. Willcox.

“You’re becoming just like them, the uncooperative students. What if Principal McBride finds out about this? What’s he going to say?” asked Micah.

“Nothing’s ever happened and nothing ever will happen! Now, go off to class!” responded Mrs. Willcox angrily.

“You were a great teacher, Mrs. Willcox…until you changed.” replies Micah angrily while heading to his next class. Mrs. Willcox prepares for her next class and begins teaching her lessons until the bell rings to dismiss students for the day. Micah walks home with his friends while Jessica angrily says, “Micah, you should never have given Mrs. Willcox that invention of yours. Now she’s worse than ever.”

“I was only trying to help. How was I supposed to know this was all going to happen?” asked Micah.

“You’ve helped enough. Now, leave us alone.” responds Sarah angrily while walking home with Jessica. Micah sadly watches Sarah and Jessica walk off together while Wesley approaches him from behind.

“Don’t take it personal, Micah. Some people just don’t understand how hard it is being an inventor.” says Wesley while putting his hand on Micah’s shoulder.

“I messed up big time. Perhaps I should have just done nothing and let the problem resolve itself.” responded Micah remorsefully.

“Nah. Something good will come out of this. You’ll see. You know…I bet Mrs. Willcox is seeing the error of her ways right now.” replies Wesley while walking home with Micah. Mrs. Willcox packs up her belongings and begins to head out the school building until a voice says, “Vickie.” Mrs. Willcox stops and turns her attention to the source, seeing Principal McBride peaking out the doorway to the secretary’s office and beckoning her while saying, “I need to have a word with you.” Principal McBride leads Mrs. Willcox to his office and gestures his hand to the two chairs sitting in front of his desk while saying, “Have a seat.” Mrs. Willcox sits down in one of the chairs while Principal McBride sits down at his desk.

“I’ve been receiving many complaints about you mistreating your students recently. What have you been doing?” asked Principal McBride.

“Micah gave me this. Whenever the kids are out of control, I just press this button and they get shocked into paying attention.” answers Mrs. Willcox while presenting Micah’s invention to Principal McBride.

“He didn’t tell you to abuse it, did he?” asked Principal McBride.

“Well…no. In fact, he tried to me about how I’ve been acting lately, but…I wouldn’t listen.” answered Mrs. Willcox.

“You’re an excellent teacher, Vickie. But your actions towards the students, including the misbehaving ones, is unacceptable. It pains me to say this, but I’m placing you on unpaid suspension until further notice.” said Principal McBride.

“I understand.” responds Mrs. Willcox remorsefully while walking out of the office.

“Vickie?” asked Principal McBride. Mrs. Willcox stops and looks back at Principal McBride, who then says, “Good luck.” Mrs. Willcox heads home while in tears, talking to her husband about what all has happened. The next day in school, Principal McBride enters all Math classes of Micah and his friends and explains what has happened. After talking about Mrs. Willcox’s absence in Micah’s class, Principal McBride asks, “Are there any questions?” Micah raises his hand with Principal McBride asking, “Yes, Micah?”

“Will Mrs. Willcox be back?” asked Micah.

“I can’t answer that for you right now. Only time will tell.” answered Principal McBride. Principal McBride then asks, “Are there any other questions?” Nobody in Micah’s class raises their hands with Principal McBride saying, “Ok then. Good luck to you all and listen to your substitute teacher. And remember, he will send any of you to my office if you give him a hard time, just like you did with Mrs. Willcox. So, please behave yourselves. You may proceed, Mr. Tester.” Principal McBride exits the classroom while the substitute teacher teaches the class with some of the students misbehaving mildly.

“If I catch any of you goofing off again, I’m sending you out in the hall. Now, pay attention.” said the substitute teacher angrily. The students continue misbehaving while the substitute teacher points at them respectfully and points to the hallway with the students exiting the classroom. After sending some of the students out into the hall, the substitute teacher continues with his lesson while Micah and the remaining students pay attention and take notes. During her suspension, Mrs. Willcox visits a counselor on a weekly basis, gradually making progress with her attitude. Day by day with the substitute teacher, all classmates in the classes of Micah, Wesley, Sarah, and Jessica respectively begin to simmer down with Principal McBride one day calling Mrs. Willcox.

“Hello?” asked Mrs. Willcox.

“Hi, is this Vickie?” asked Principal McBride.

“Yes it is. Who am I speaking to?” asked Mrs. Willcox.

“Hi, Vickie. It’s Principal McBride. I just wanted to check in on you and see how you’re doing.” responded Principal McBride.

“I’m doing great! I’ve been seeing a counselor lately and she’s really turned my life around! I couldn’t be much happier!” replied Mrs. Willcox.

“I’m glad to hear that. It sounds to me you’ve had quite a change of heart. I’d say you’re ready to get back to teaching, which is the whole reason why I called. To lift your suspension.” said Principal McBride.

“Even better!” responded Mrs. Willcox.

“Great! I’ll see you first thing in the morning.” replied Principal McBride. Mrs. Willcox and Principal McBride hang up while Mrs. Willcox tells her husband about the news she’s received. The next day in school, a lot of the teachers, staff, and students welcome Mrs. Willcox back as she responds with gratitude and heads into Principal McBride’s office.

“We’re glad to have you back on staff, Vickie.” said Principal McBride.

“It’s great to be back, Mr. McBride. I don’t suppose any of my classes have made any progress during my time off, have they?” asked Mrs. Willcox.

“They have, actually! Your replacement, Mr. Tester, has really done a number on your students! There’s been a huge drop in the chaos lately! However, I have something even better for you in case anything does go wrong.” responds Principal McBride while pulling open of the drawers to his desk. Wesley, Sarah, and Jessica go through their day at school in Mrs. Willcox’s class, having little to no disruptions from their classes. Later in Micah’s class, Mrs. Willcox hands Micah his invention back with Micah asking, “You finished with this?”

“Yes. I have something even better.” answers Mrs. Willcox while pointing at a hidden camera set up in her classroom. Micah takes the invention back and proceeds learning in Mrs. Willcox’s class, also having little to no disruptions from his class as the hidden camera monitors their every move. At the end of the day, Micah walks home with his friends while Jessica says, “Micah, I owe you an apology for the way I acted a while back.”

“Me too.” said Sarah.

“It’s all in the past. Times are different, now.” responded Micah.

“Let’s go home and hang out. What do you say?” asked Wesley.

“I’m in! Sarah? Jessica?” asked Micah.

“We’re there!” answered Sarah. Micah happily walks home with his friends while Mrs. Willcox packs up her belongings and walks out the school building, happily looking forward to the next day.

 

The End