Time Out is the nineteenth chapter of Wayside School Gets a Little Stranger.
Plot
In every Wayside book, the 19th chapter is always portrayed as the 19th floor. In this installment, Miss Zarves has a cow in her class, presumably left over from the events in the previous book (It is mentioned in the first chapter that Louis had cleared the school of cows, but kept hearing an untraceable "moo.") The cow continually distracts Miss Zarves to the point where she can no longer teach. She goes to Principal Kidswatter to complain, but he doesn't see or hear her. She finally storms out of the school, intending to quit, but the three men with the attaché cases stop her and tell her she is a good teacher and that the school needs her. Miss Zarves returns to the school feeling validated.
Characters
Trivia
- This is the final appearance of Virginia, Ray Gunn, and Mrs. Day. This is also the final appearance of Nick in the books, but he still appears in the cartoon.
- The cow that appears in this chapter is probably the same cow that Louis heard in "Explanation".
- Despite Virginia claiming she's been in Miss Zarves's class for thirty-two years in "A Wonderful Teacher," here, Miss Zarves claims she's been teaching for only thirty.
- It's possible that one of them has lost track of time over the years, considering the nature of the nineteenth story.
- It's also possible that Miss Zarves was simply rounding down, and that they both have been in the classroom for the same amount of time.