Welcome, Mrs. Sell!

Twice or three times a week I teach a sixth grade class together with my mentor teacher, Brigitte. You've probably heard me complaining about them - they can be spectacularly loud, obnoxious, and rude. Some of them have serious emotional/psychological problems and there is no question that they are one of the most difficult groups of kids I've ever encountered.
Brigitte is leaving our school to take a position at a much better international school, and on her last day in this class, she introduced the students to their new English teacher, Mrs. Sell. While Brigitte picked up Mrs. Sell from the subway station, I worked alone with the kids on a crossword puzzle. Remarkably, they were very good. No fights broke out, no one cried, and no one tried to run away. But when the new teacher was introduced, they threw a collective temper tantrum. "NOOOO!! WE DON'T WANT A NEW TEACHER!!! NOOO!!" And then: "Why can't Frau Lindsay be our teacher? We want Frau Lindsay to be the teacher!" And then they chanted my name while pounding the desks.
I pity the new teacher, but I have to admit that this ranks the Best Classroom Experiences Ever. Of course, I'll probably have to be much nicer to them from now on. Manipulative little monsters.