Title: “The substitute teacher”
Author: Manuel Martínez
4 characters:
- VALENTIN.- 38 years old, substitute teacher. He arrives to the Institute with fear, but he soon asserts his authority.
- EZEQUIEL.- 17 years old, repeater, he is a bad student who is not afraid of any authority.
- SOFÍA.- 40 years old, the oldest teacher in the Institute.
- HEADMASTER: 56 years old, headmaster of the Institute.
ACT I
Hallway of the Félix Valoir Institute. Classes are about to begin, the students are already in the classrooms waiting for each teacher to enter the classroom.
Valentin walks along with Sofia, a fellow teacher at the Institute. Until they stop at the door of a classroom.
SOFIA: Well, here we are.
VALENTÍN: Wasn’t that Twelfth grade?
SOFÍA: Yes, that’s Twelfth grade.
VALENTÍN: Oh, right, I thought the senior graders were upstairs.
SOFÍA: Well, don’t worry, just take it easy, and above all, don’t get on their nerves.
VALENTÍN: Are they very rebellious?
SOFÍA: They’re a difficult class. But if you show you’re strong you can win them over.
VALENTÍN: How strong?
SOFÍA: Yes, that you don’t hesitate, that you’re very sure of yourself, if you hesitate they’ll do whatever you want.
VALENTINE: Fuck, you’re making me more nervous, hehe.
SOFÍA: Well no, you have to be very calm.
VALENTÍN: Do I have to be especially careful with any student?
SOFÍA: Enrique hasn’t told you anything?
Valentín looks confused.
SOFÍA: Enrique, the head of studies.
VALENTÍN: No, what should I know?
SOFÍA: I guess substitute teachers don’t tell you everything, Ezequiel, a kid who’s repeated a couple of times, today you’ll have him on the first day in the front row and believe me he’s going to play a trick on you.
VALENTIN: And why do I have to be especially careful?
SOFIA: I guess they haven’t told you anything. Then it better be like this, you just keep an eye on him.
VALENTINE: Well, I’ll be careful.
SOFIA: You’ll see how after five minutes everything will be fine.
ACT II
Valentín enters the classroom under the attentive gaze of the students. Sitting in the front row is Ezequiel. Valentin places his briefcase on his desk and takes out a list from inside.
VALENTIN: Good morning guys.
EZEQUIEL (ironically): Good morning, Professor.
VALENTIN: I’d better introduce myself. My name is Valentin…
EZEQUIEL: How brave.
VALENTÍN: I beg your pardon?
EZEQUIEL: What a nice name.
VALENTIN: Thank you. As I was saying, I’m Valentín, a qualified teacher for the last five years, and I’ve been called to cover for your teacher Mariano.
EZEQUIEL: Poor guy, he’s not coming back.
VALENTIN: Let’s hope so, right?
EZEQUIEL: Yes, yes, let’s hope he comes back.
VALENTIN: That´s right.
EZEQUIEL (whispering): With him it was easy to copy.
Valentín stares at Ezequiel.
VALENTIN: I wanted you to introduce yourselves, but it’s already clear to me who’s the class joker.
EZEQUIEL: Who’s it teacher, who’s is teacher?
VALENTIN: We ask the class, or do you take the hint.
Most of the class laughs at the teacher’s last comment. Ezequiel begins to look seriously back to silence the laughter.
EZEQUIEL: You’re going too far and you don’t know me.
VALENTIN: What should I know?
EZEQUIEL: That you’re not taking me seriously.
VALENTIN: I take you seriously as I take any classmate, now if you don’t want to teach the class, let me do my job and go on with the class, if not for my sake, at least for the sake of your classmates.
EZEQUIEL: You don’t know what happened to Mariano, do you?
VALENTIN: No, but I’m sure you’re going to tell me.
EZEQUIEL: I’m just telling you that he was also very cocky and ended up asking to leave.
VALENTIN: And after this exciting story, can we continue with the class?
Valentín bends down at his desk to take the blackboard eraser out of the drawer when a book passes a few centimeters from Valentín’s head and hits the wall. Valentín, surprised, sits up and looks at Ezequiel.
VALENTIN (in a stern tone): Ezequiel come out with me.
Ezequiel and Valentin leave the classroom.
ACT III
Hallway of the Institute, empty and silent, all the students are in their classes. Valentín and Ezequiel are outside their classroom, near the door.
VALENTIN: Listen to me, I don’t care what nonsense you want to talk about in my class. I take it for granted that I’ll always have a clown in them.
EZEQUIEL: Wait a minute, nobody calls me a clown.
VALENTIN: I wasn’t calling you a clown.
EZEQUIEL: Why not, I just heard it perfectly.
VALENTIN: Let me speak, please. I wasn’t calling you a clown.
EZEQUIEL: So?
VALENTIN: Let me talk. I don’t care if you have to say or do jokes. I have three options: either I send you to the principal and eventually get you expelled, or I ignore you and put up with your nonsense, or I get you to get involved and learn something.
The Director of the institute approaches the two without them noticing his presence.
EZEQUIEL: I have another option. I make a big mess of you and end up getting you to fuck off….
DIRECTOR: I beg your pardon, student?
Ezequiel turns around in surprise. Come with me and you, Valentin, go back to your class.
VALENTIN: Excuse me, Director, it’s my fault.
DIRECTOR: And howis that?
VALENTIN: I had asked the student Ezequiel to accompany me outside to see if I had left my car unlocked, but I think I overdid it.
DIRECTOR: But how could you think of that? Don’t let it happen again, don’t make me regret hiring you. Go back to your class immediately.
EZEQUIEL: Yes, sir, Director.
VALENTIN: Right away.
The principal continues on his way down the corridor.
VALENTIN: Shall we continue the class?
EZEQUIEL: Yes, you were introducing yourself, you may continue.
THE END