Living the ABCs of Running a School

In the meantime, she is learning how to take control of a situation, as she did when she went to the rescue of the substitute teacher at the career center.

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The substitute, a middle-aged man, opened the door. The desks were jumbled, not in orderly rows. Some students were standing. Jordan strode inside and asked what was going on.

"Dwight was the first one to turn out the lights," the teacher said, pointing to a student who wore a Who, me? expression. "They are trying to peek through the windows."

Jordan asked whether the substitute had any work for the students to do. "They refuse to do it," the teacher said.

The students got angry. "You lying! He lying!" a student protested.

With the students growing restless and the teacher growing flustered, Jordan took charge.

"There's something about my demeanor that says, 'I'm not playing with you,' " Jordan had said before. She is warm and calm with students, but she has a voice of authority she can flick on instantly.

"You all don't listen to the sub, you listen to me now," she said firmly. The class quieted down. "If you have paper, raise your hand." A few did.

"Every person that has paper, give me two sheets," she said. She passed the paper out. "You all have paper. Do what you need to do."

She led five students from the class, all boys, and lined them up against a row of orange and brown lockers. Two of the students weren't wearing their school uniforms.

"Look, I want the two of you to get your uniforms," she told them. They grunted their assent.

"Repeat it for me," she said. They did, grinning sheepishly.

To the other three, she gently said: "When you get back there, just do what it is you're supposed to do."

"Mm-hmm," the students replied.

"I appreciate that," Jordan said.

She let them go back to class and went on her way.