Yesterday I was in a kindergarten classroom that had A LOT of pets. Have I ever told you how much I don't care for classroom pets? I counted how many pets there were:
5 rats (my absolute least favorite)
1 hamster (almost as bad as a rat)
2 guinea pigs (not so bad)
1 rabbit
3 crabs
walking sticks
a canary
(These last three are the only three I would consider owning. No biting or fur involved.)
I don't mind being in the same room with these animals as long as they are in cages, but when the teacher asked me to feed them I considered reviewing my job description. My main concern was the rats, but the guinea pigs were making hissing noises at me!!!! I found a solution though - I know that kindergarteners LOVE to feed pets (just like they love to squeeze and "pet" them). So I just asked a girl if she would be my helper and made sure that she was the one who reached into the cage and got the food bowl out. The animals didn't attack her hand - which I really didn't think would happen but you never know.
Another funny thing that happened.
When I was counting the animals I noticed an aquarium full of sticks and leaves so I asked a student, "What kind of animal is in that aquarium?"
She said, "Oh, there's drumsticks in there."
"What?"
"Yeah, drumsticks."
I looked closer for some sort of insect I didn't know about. Probably deadly. They were walking sticks.
December 18, 2003
December 16, 2003
epitaph for a newt
Kindergarten classrooms are often chaotic. On one such chaotic day in one such chaotic classroom a newt was killed, but not intentionally. I'm almost sure that if those PETA people knew what went on in kindergarten to classroom pets they would be picketing every elementary school in the country.
"Teacher! (frantically) The newt is stuck!!!" (visualize other children also screaming and jumping up and down in the background)
Indeed, the newt was stuck. It's head was stuck in the lid of the aquarium almost as if in the act of putting the newt back into the aquarium someone had closed the lid too early. It's head was inside the aquarium and the rest of it's totally stiff and terrified body was outside.
"OK", I said, "I'll open the lid and you catch the newt." I assigned the roles this way because I don't like to touch dead newts. The catch was successful.
Me to the class - "Sometimes when a newt gets hurt he doesn't like to be touched or petted for a long time so we are going to leave the newt alone during choice time." I said this as if the newt was alive. This is the nice thing about being a substitute, the real teacher can break the bad news tomorrow. I just have to break the news to her...
Kindergarten classrooms are often chaotic. On one such chaotic day in one such chaotic classroom a newt was killed, but not intentionally. I'm almost sure that if those PETA people knew what went on in kindergarten to classroom pets they would be picketing every elementary school in the country.
"Teacher! (frantically) The newt is stuck!!!" (visualize other children also screaming and jumping up and down in the background)
Indeed, the newt was stuck. It's head was stuck in the lid of the aquarium almost as if in the act of putting the newt back into the aquarium someone had closed the lid too early. It's head was inside the aquarium and the rest of it's totally stiff and terrified body was outside.
"OK", I said, "I'll open the lid and you catch the newt." I assigned the roles this way because I don't like to touch dead newts. The catch was successful.
Me to the class - "Sometimes when a newt gets hurt he doesn't like to be touched or petted for a long time so we are going to leave the newt alone during choice time." I said this as if the newt was alive. This is the nice thing about being a substitute, the real teacher can break the bad news tomorrow. I just have to break the news to her...
December 14, 2003
Third Grade
This story is one I remembered from a couple weeks ago.
We were reading something historical in which they used the word "petticoat". You know, those things that women used to wear.
I asked the students if anyone knew what it meant.
"I think it's like one of those little sweaters that they put on dogs sometimes."
This story is one I remembered from a couple weeks ago.
We were reading something historical in which they used the word "petticoat". You know, those things that women used to wear.
I asked the students if anyone knew what it meant.
"I think it's like one of those little sweaters that they put on dogs sometimes."
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