Substitute teachers are in a class by themselves, in more ways than one. True, they are well paid, but their task is not an easy one—that of keeping learning running as smoothly as possible while the regular teacher is away. They work under the real handicap of one- or two-day stands, and unless they remain for several years as substitutes in the same system, they have little status in the classrooms. Status is something that quite naturally belongs to the regular teacher. To most pupils, the sight of a substitute promises a holiday, and the idea of work takes flight.