Temple Beth El Braille Bindery

Before you enter Wayside School, you should know that it’s a thirty-story building with one classroom on each floor. Mrs. Jewls teaches the class on the thirtieth story. Miss Zarves teaches the class on the nineteenth story—except there is no nineteenth story, so there is no Miss Zarves. Understand? Good. Explain it to Calvin.

The plot centers on the students dealing with a series of strange substitute teachers while their regular teacher, Mrs. Jewls, is on maternity leave, leading to new, bizarre situations like a pet day with a skunk and a teacher who never forgets missed homework.