The Superteacher Project: Chapters 15–20

by Gordon Korman
When a new teacher arrives at a New Jersey middle school, students are curious about why he has a grandfatherly assistant, doesn't smile or eat, and knows so much about everything.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–8, Chapters 9–14, Chapters 15–20, Chapters 21–25, Chapter 26–Epilogue
40 words 9 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. dubiously
    in a doubtful manner
    “Quiz,” I repeat dubiously. “That sounds a lot like school.”
  2. bray
    laugh loudly and harshly
    "Wrong!” I bray. “It was Juice Wrld! Ha—in your face!”
  3. jeer
    laugh at with contempt and derision
    “You don’t have to do this, Mr. Aidact,” Darryl mumbles.
    “Sure, he does,” Mr. Yarmolenko jeers from the doorway. “These teachers act like they know everything, but what have they ever accomplished in the real world?”
  4. slink
    move or walk stealthily
    The teacher has hit fourteen in a row by the time Mr. Yarmolenko slinks out of the gym, scowling.
  5. trajectory
    the path followed by an object moving through space
    “It’s a physics problem. Force, trajectory, arc, gravity.”
  6. sift
    check and sort carefully
    “Everybody’s on the internet.”
    “Not Mr. Aidact,” I conclude, sifting through the pages of links on my computer.
  7. transfixed
    having your attention fixated as though witchcraft
    We watch, transfixed as a door opens and another figure steps out of the nearer of two bedrooms—skinny, slight, and lugging a large briefcase.
  8. concede
    admit or acknowledge, often reluctantly
    “Student teachers don’t get paid. Maybe Perkins is bunking with Mr. Aidact to save money.”
    “Maybe,” I concede.
  9. obscure
    remote and separate physically or socially
    He’s the exiled prince of some tiny, obscure country where Aidact is as common a name as Smith or Jones.
  10. dinky
    small and insignificant
    Only that doesn’t answer the biggest question of all: What self-respecting prince would move into a dinky apartment and teach seventh grade?
  11. ideal
    conforming to an ultimate standard of perfection
    The curtains are closed, but there’s a gap of about three inches in the middle—an ideal vulnerability to be exploited by a Submarine Commander periscope.
  12. mantel
    a shelf that projects from the wall above a fireplace
    The living room has a fireplace, and across the mantel is a collection of Chia Pets in various stages of sprouting.
  13. goggle
    look with amazement
    I gawk. I goggle.
  14. reedy
    thin and high-pitched in tone
    “Make that—two artificial arms,” I murmur in a reedy tone.
  15. indicator
    a device for showing the operating condition of some system
    A timing wheel whirls on the screen as a progress indicator rises to 100 percent.
  16. digest
    a periodical that summarizes the news
    The first link that comes up takes us to an article from Educator's Digest, summer 2018:
    DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION SHELVES
"AIDACT” PROJECT
  17. android
    a moving mechanical device that looks like a person
    The goal of AIDACT—which stands for Artificially Intelligent Designated Android Classroom Teacher—was to place convincingly human robotic teachers in classrooms across the country.
  18. exasperation
    a feeling of annoyance
    “Oh, I don’t know,” I retort in exasperation.
  19. supple
    capable of moving or bending freely
    It's fine for the kids—they’re made of rubber. They don’t even notice it. But when you get to be my age, you’re not nearly so supple.
  20. delude
    be dishonest with
    I don’t delude myself into believing they could be state championship material.
  21. monotone
    an unchanging intonation
    “That’s nice,” she comments in her usual bland monotone.
  22. shambles
    a condition of great disorder
    “The poetry unit is a shambles. All they want to do is rap and recite lyrics. And when I ask where they’re getting it, they all say Mr. Aidact.”
  23. chide
    scold or reprimand severely or angrily
    “You’ve both been teaching long enough to know a thing or two about kids and their obsessions," I chide them both.
  24. elements
    violent or severe weather
    “We're real people, who can feel the cold, the wind, and the rain. He can’t suffer from the elements any more than a car that’s parked outside in the snow.”
  25. petty
    preoccupied with unimportant matters in a spiteful way
    When I socialize with other principals, our favorite topic of conversation is how teachers are often pettier and more immature than students.
  26. maintain
    keep in a certain state, position, or activity
    Not much like the robots from the old movies; he’s not clanking along with his arms out in front of him—although Paul assures us that the moving parts have to be oiled and maintained like on any other mechanical device.
  27. exhilaration
    the feeling of lively and cheerful joy
    And then the players see his reaction, which only acts as an amplifier for their own exhilaration. It’s no wonder they adore him.
  28. strident
    being sharply insistent on being heard
    Mr. Aidact's strident voice rings out, clear as a bell: “Anyone can see those sticks never touched! They were separated by a full two-point-five millimeters!”
  29. groundbreaking
    introducing new ideas or creative methods
    “It’s unfortunate that we have to keep it a secret for now. But one day, we’ll get full credit for the groundbreaking work we’re doing for the future of education.”
  30. cinch
    any undertaking that is easy to do
    It’s a great feather in my cap to be principal of the school where the very first AIDACT unit was launched. It’ll be a cinch to get a superintendent’s position after that.
  31. morosely
    in a sullen, moody manner
    “Groundbreaking,” Syesha echoes morosely. “If they start making AIDACTs by the thousands, we’ll all be out of a job.”
  32. sophisticated
    complex or intricate
    Will sophisticated robots from the Department of Education one day replace teachers?
  33. signify
    make known with a word or signal
    On the field, the final whistle signifies another big win for the Bobcats.
  34. trivial
    of little substance or significance
    Big talk from a guy whose whole life is pretty trivial.
  35. prompt
    urge, encourage, or motivate someone to act
    “What do you say, Rosalie?” Avalon prompts.
  36. notorious
    known widely and usually unfavorably
    Come to think of it, I seem to remember that a lot of the votes I saw yesterday looked suspiciously like Stinky’s notorious chicken-scratch handwriting.
  37. barge
    push one's way
    Oh no—the last thing I need is for Mom to see him and barge into the cafeteria on a flirting mission.
  38. haywire
    not functioning properly
    The building thermostat goes haywire, and suddenly the temperature in all the rooms is eighty-eight degrees and rising.
  39. muster
    summon up, call forth, or bring together
    Mr. Perkins can’t even muster the strength to lug his briefcase from room to room.
  40. incur
    receive a specified treatment
    I performed adjustments on AIDACT's right hand to repair minor damage incurred during numerous high fives.
Created on Wed Dec 13 15:08:54 EST 2023 (updated Thu Dec 14 11:08:32 EST 2023)

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