'The TeleClass'

"OK, I guess. What's going on?"

"The tests we gave you tell us you passed out because you have a disease called ipsofactia."

"Am I going to die?" Isaac asked.

"No, no. Nothing like that. But you'll be very weak for a few months. You won't be able to go to school."

"But what about the school talent show?" Isaac said. "I was supposed to sing in the chorus. And will I be able to keep up so I can pass to the next grade with the rest of my class?"

"I think I have a good answer to those questions," Dr. Goldstein said, and he wheeled a robot into Isaac's room. Its head had a big TV screen on top and a small TV screen below. Dr. Goldstein handed Isaac a box that looked like the remote control for a videogame.

"This is your TeleClass," Dr. Goldstein announced. "Look at the big screen in its head."

Isaac did as Dr. Goldstein suggested and saw his classroom and his classmates and Ms. Freesia, his teacher. They all looked out at him with great curiosity. The small screen showed his own face. Isaac smiled at himself.

"A RoboClone stands in for you in the classroom," Dr. Goldstein explained. "Let me show you how the system works."

While Isaac was learning how to use the control box for his TeleClass, his classmates and Ms. Freesia were getting used to Isaac's RoboClone.

"Welcome back to class, Isaac," Ms. Freesia said.

At recess, Isaac rolled the RoboClone to a window so he could watch his friends out on the playing field.

Ms. Freesia joined the robot at the window and spoke to Isaac. "Principal Fremont and the board of education have decided that you may keep up with your class if you can pass the make-up test."

Isaac nodded. "What about the talent show?"

"You may participate if you pass the test."

That afternoon, while the rest of the class was painting sets for the talent show, Ms. Freesia put the test into a slot in front of the RoboClone.

Like a fax machine, the robot copied the test and sent it to the TeleClass in Isaac's hospital room.

Isaac took the test from his robot and, using the sharpest pencil he could find, began to answer the questions. The test was difficult, but Isaac thought he got most of the answers correct. He shipped the test back to the RoboClone.

Half an hour later, Ms. Freesia reported that Isaac had passed the test. The news made Isaac feel almost well enough to get out of bed. He actually tried, but found that he was still one sick kid.

Friday night was the school talent show. Isaac sat in his hospital bed, pillows plumped up around him, waiting for the signal for the junior chorus to go onto the stage.

One of the dancer kids from another class who was also waiting to go on stage sneered in his direction. "How weird is it to have a robot in your class?" he asked.

"It's not a robot," a boy in Isaac's class replied.

"That's just Isaac. And he's not weird — he's way cool."