Teacher's Pet by Laurie Halse Anderson

Author:Laurie Halse Anderson
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin USA, Inc.

Working with Scout and Mr. Carlson was a great way to start the day, but it goes downhill from there. Half of my math homework is wrong. I can’t find my English essay, and I forgot my lunch. In the afternoon I drop my binder in the hall, and the entire eighth grade walks on my papers. Looking forward to seeing Scout is the only thing that keeps me going.

“Hi, Mr. Carlson!” I say as I walk into class.

Scout is sitting up next to Mr. Carlson, watching the students file into the classroom. The dog’s ears are perked up and his eyes are bright. It looks like they’ve had a good day. It takes a lot of control for me not to say anything to Scout or sneak in a little ear scratching. But I manage. Barely.

“Hi, Maggie,” Mr. Carlson answers. “Long time no see.”

He pauses. “It’s a joke. You’re supposed to laugh.”

Scout wags his tail. He likes Mr. Carlson’s sense of humor.

Mr. Carlson sets a transparency on the overhead projector and turns to face the class. Scout swings around to stay on his left side.

I freeze in place. Will he do it?

Mr. Carlson bends over slightly and pets his dog’s head. “Good boy,” he says quietly. Scout leans his head against Mr. Carlson’s hand and closes his eyes slightly. He loves the attention.

Yes! One small step taken!

“Take your seats, please,” Mr. Carlson tells the class. “Get out a piece of paper and a pencil.” He flips on the projector. Ten vocabulary words and four questions glow on the screen.

“It’s the first pop quiz of the year,” Mr. Carlson says. “I hope you studied your notes this weekend.”

The class groans.

A pop quiz?

How can he do this to us? How can he do this to me? Why didn’t he tell me this morning?

I stumble to my desk and dig a piece of paper out of my backpack. I’m not the only one who is upset. The room sounds like a nest of angry hornets.

“That’s enough now—quiet down,” Mr. Carlson says loudly. “This is middle school. You are responsible for going over your notes after every class. Please get started.”

And here I was thinking he was a good guy, different than the other teachers! They’re all the same, trying to trick us into making mistakes.

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