When the K-4 children came in from recess, they were greeted by a strange sight. Standing in front of their whiteboard was a woman dressed all in black. “Who’s that?” one of them was heard to say. Another child asked, “Is that Miss Viola Swamp?”The stranger turned around. “Boys and girls,” she said, “I have heard that the boys and girls in Room 201 have been misbehaving. I am here to change that. I am Miss Viola Swamp, and I mean business! There will be no centers today. We will work, work, work. We have lots of work. Now take your seats.”
You could have heard a pin drop as the children cautiously walked to their tables and sat down. They didn’t know what to think. They knew it was not Miss Nikki in their classroom. Miss Viola Swamp introduced herself and said she was there to see that they did their work. No talking! No laughing! No smiling! And certainly no speaking without raising your hand. Miss Viola meant business. Even when Miss Karen stepped out of the room for a minute and then returned Miss Viola Swamp wiggled her finger at her and said in her sternest voice, “Miss Karen, no more!”
The children quietly did their work. They didn’t know what to think. Except for a few suppressed giggles from the adults in the room, all that could be heard was the scratching of pencils on paper as the children did their work.
You see Miss Nikki had been reading her class the book Miss Nelson Is Missing by James Marshall and a few of the sequels. The class enjoyed the stories so much that Miss Nikki decided to act out the story by pretending to be missing and having her sister-in-law come and visit and play the part of Miss Viola Swamp. Miss Nikki didn’t stay away very long, but the students were very glad to see her return. It was an experience that they won’t soon forget.
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