Our Unexpected Substitute
    
As I stepped into my classroom, I immediately realized something was wrong. Everyone was everywhere, in a muddled mess of confusion.
    
“What’s wrong?” I whispered to my friend Destiny.
    
“No teacher,” she whispered back. I was surprised. Mrs. Copeland was always on time, if not early.
    
Just then, an elderly man walked in. But this wasn’t a normal old man. He had wild and all-over-the-place white hair and a jacket that looked like a lab coat and a cheerful disposition.
    
“Class, class,” he said in a kind but firm voice, “please settle down.” We all became silent and scrambled to our desks. “I will be your substitute, as Mrs. Copeland is out today. You may call me Mr. E. Let us begin.”
    
As the day continued, our class realized that “Mr. E” was smarter than anyone we had ever come across. He was also always saying things like “If you can’t explain it, you simply don’t understand it well enough” or “Curiosity has its own reasons for existing.”
    
At recess, the main conversation topic was our mysterious substitute teacher.
    
At the end of the day, when we were all packed, Mr. E announced, “You have been a great class. I’m sure Mrs. Copeland will be very proud of you when she returns tomorrow.”
    
Moans of “You’re leaving?” “What?” “Will you come back?” arose through the classroom He had been a good teacher.
    
“Not anytime soon, I’m afraid.” He smiled a regretful smile.
    
“’Scuse me, sir?” a boy named Noah asked. “One last question. What’s your real name?”
    
First there was an eerie silence. Then, our ever so peculiar teacher smiled and said, “Mr. Einstein.”