Missed the Intro

Today I ended up in one of those weird assignments that sometimes crop up. One teacher retired. The new teacher had been hired but her paperwork hadn't gone through. So, the class was temporarily without teacher while paperwork cleared (there are a bunch of hoops that a new teacher must jump through before she can be in the classroom).

Luckily, I only had this class for two days. Today, the new teacher had her orientation.

It was 5th period. The new teacher was sitting in the back of the room, observing. (She was also doing her planning for taking over the class.) At the beginning of the period, I informed the students that this was my last day with them, and the new teacher introduced herself to the class. Then we got on with the lesson.

Towards the end of the period, one boy told me that he wished I would stay. I wasn't sure why. The class hadn't enjoyed the day's lesson (reading To Kill a Mockingbird). Apparently, I was "chill" or something.

The other reason the comment was curious was because the new teacher was in the room. The other students pointed this out.

"I thought she was a student," the boy said. "I didn't realize that she was the new teacher."

Me: "But she introduced herself at the beginning of the period."

He said that he wasn't listening.

The room had been silent. They all turned in her direction. Yet, the boy didn't hear that they had a new teacher?

Wow. Now I can't be sure the students hear me even if they are looking at me and not talking. That's troubling.