The Unteachables

Mr. Kermit arrives at school to find his class missing. Principal Vargas comes on the intercom to announce that the entire shipment of vuvuzelas has been stolen. When Ms. Fountain joins Mr. Kermit in his classroom, they see Parker with the vuvuzelas in his truck. Ms. Fountain drags Mr. Kermit outside, yelling that they have to stop the kids before they get in trouble.

Mr. Kermit and Ms. Fountain lead a procession of teachers in a chase. Parker stops beside the river, and the kids unload the boxes. They see Mr. Kermit and cheer. Confused, Mr. Kermit picks up a box and demands to know what they’re doing. Kiana announces they took the vuvuzelas to honor his hatred of them. Caught off-guard, Mr. Kermit loses his grip on the box, and its weight takes him into the river. The kids jump in after him, managing to knock most of the vuvuzelas in. Mr. Kermit reflects that of all the terrible things that have happened during Spirit Week over the years, “this ranks about sixth” (124).

Principal Vargas reads an article from the local paper, the Greenwich Telegraph, about Mr. Kermit’s involvement in the incident. The article also mentions the cheating scandal from years ago. When the principal finishes reading, she and Dr. Thaddeus argue about Mr. Kermit, the cheating, and the vuvuzelas. Dr. Thaddeus knows Mr. Kermit wasn’t to blame for the cheating, but as Superintendent, he has to keep up appearances. The fact the cheating scandal comes up again now, 27 years later, shows people haven’t forgotten.

Dr. Thaddeus vows to find a way to fire Mr. Kermit so the teacher can never collect a pension. But, when he challenges Mrs. Vargas to find a reason not to dismiss Mr. Kermit, she points out that his students jumped into the river to save him. She wonders why these troublemakers would be so loyal. Dr. Thaddeus dismisses Mrs. Vargas’s concerns, but that night, he lies awake with her question “reverberating inside my skull” (130).