Teacher's Pest

Mandy Straussberg impresses the school science-fair judges with a working hovercraft powered by a leaf blower. Max Hampton follows with a dollhouse decorated in electrified pickles, which he promotes as Fourth of July lights. When he increases the power, the pickles explode and shower Mrs. Sweeny with the messy remains.

Max constantly mocks Mandy for being the teacher's favorite and the best student in class. During a detention, he hides a hamster in Mandy's desk and tricks her into opening it. Mrs. Sweeny cannot determine who is telling the truth as Max and Mandy accuse each other, so she makes them partners on a biology project in hopes that they will finally learn to cooperate.

At Max's house, Mandy notices a note from his absent father wishing him a happy birthday and promising to see him the following week. Max complains that his new air-hockey table lacks an automatic scoring system. He first says he will have no party, then invents a large celebration to which Mandy is supposedly not invited.

Their assignment is a report on the mouth, but Max will devote only fifteen minutes to it before his friend Spencer arrives. Mandy is also unwilling to remain in a house without a parent present. Instead of finding another time to collaborate, they divide the work: Mandy will research the oral report, and Max will build the visual aid.

Certain that Max will fail to do his half, Mandy begins building an elaborate papier-mâché face as well as preparing the report. Whit asks what either student can learn if she secretly completes the whole project herself. He suggests that Mrs. Sweeny may have paired them so Max can learn to work and Mandy can learn to help someone she dislikes. Encouraging good work matters more than controlling every part herself.

Max tells Spencer that he plans to contribute nothing so that Mandy will receive her first failing grade. Mandy, meanwhile, learns from Spencer that Max's birthday party does not exist. Seeing through Max's confidence and bluster, she anonymously gives him the automatic scoring attachment he wanted for his air-hockey table.

Max recognizes Mandy's heart-dotted handwriting on the card. Her unexpected kindness overturns his plan. He stays up all night building a large mechanical mouth whose jaw moves at different speeds and can even crack walnuts.

Mandy still finishes her own polished visual aid, but on presentation day she hides it under the desk. She gives Max the chance to demonstrate the model he has made. His jaw machine works until he feeds it chewing gum, increases the power when it sticks, and causes it to smoke and explode. Even so, Mandy praises his effort instead of blaming him.

Mrs. Sweeny initially gives their divided project a B because the visual aid lacks labels and attention to detail. She is disappointed that the children never truly worked together. After finding Mandy's hidden model, however, she understands that Mandy set aside her better work to encourage Max and raises her individual grade to an A.

Max sees only the posted B and is delighted with it. He gives Mandy the broken model as a souvenir and jokingly tells the perfect student that it may encourage her to try harder next time. Mandy resists correcting him and asks Mrs. Sweeny whether biting her tongue deserves extra credit.