Describes the author's three-month career as a student teacher of social studies and art in an upstate New York high school. As his stint progresses, he realizes he cannot continue to rely on his old ways of thinking and functioning. He learns to handle a cooperating teacher's unrealistic expectations and to engage students with audiovisuals and…

A former elementary principal (and teacher) describes challenging, insightful experiences gained while substituting for teachers for a half-day. This practice, combined with scheduling "sacred" classroom visiting times while advancing toward the superintendency, kept him in touch with teacher concerns and classroom realities. (MLH)