Poll: Bono wanted as substitute teacher

WASHINGTON, Nov. 20 (UPI) -- Thousands of voters indicated in an online survey Irish rocker Bono is their dream substitute teacher, the National Education Association said Friday.

Those NEA members from across the country and the general public who participated in the U.S. teachers union's third annual Substitute Educator's Day poll were asked to choose a fantasy substitute teacher from among Bono, journalist Katie Couric, former South Africa President and Nobel Peace Prize winner Nelson Mandela, Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg.

Twenty-six percent chose Bono as the person they'd most like to see in the classroom as a substitute teacher. The organization did not say what percentage of the vote the other potential subs earned or how many people participated in the survey.

The association said it has reached out to Bono and invited him to spend the day as a substitute educator, taking over a classroom at a public school.

Substitute educators are honored on the Friday of American Education Week, celebrated this year Nov. 15-21.

"As a math teacher, I can't tell you how important it is to have a well-qualified, well-respected substitute to cover lessons," NEA President Dennis Van Roekel said in a statement. "That's why it's so important to pay tribute to substitute educators who step in at a moment's notice to carry on lessons in the classroom when teachers are absent."