DETROIT -- A substitute janitor taught two high school social studies classes last week in what an embarrassed principal described as 'a one-in-a-million incident.'
Redford High Principal Walter Adams said Monday the mixup took place last Tuesday when Andrew Ransom reported to the main office instead of going to the head custodian for his temporary janitorial assignment.
Ransom told Adams' secretary only that he was a substitute, and she told him to report to Viola Chambers, the head of the department of interdisciplinary studies.
Ms. Chambers gave Ransom a lesson plan and sent him to two social studies classes and two study halls, Adams said. At the end of the day Ransom reported back to the office and confessed he was really a janitor.
'It was a one-in-a-million incident,' Adams said. 'It has never happened before in my 30 years with the school board.'
Adams said school officials would immediately implement a system to verify that substitute teachers are who they say they are.
The principal said Tuesday he didn't know what prompted Ransom to pass himself off as a substitute teacher.
'I don't know his motivation. I never talked with the man ...,' he said. 'I'm delving into that now.'
But Adams said Ransom clearly knew what he was doing.
'This person knew full well that ... he was not hired as a teacher, he was hired as a substitute custodian,' the principal said. 'Even if he didn't know where to report, he could have indicated what his business was.'
'I heard he did real good,' English teacher Wanda Hogg said of Ransom's performance. 'I think we should make him an honorary member of the Detroit Federation of Teachers. It just shows how disorganized things are around here.'
Economics teachers Joseph Madej cracked, 'The department head couldn't figure out why he asked her, 'Do you need anything cleaned?' She just sent him to a class.'
