Week Thirty-Four: April 26th

About one month before the end of the school year, so it's natural that my thoughts would turn toward the summer, and my time at the zoo. "The Skunk" is in honor of those thoughts, and the meeting I had at the zoo on Tuesday night, a semi-official kick-off to the summer.

By now, most of my students have clued in to the ever-changing beards. (That only took 34 weeks.) Of course, they think each one is a new animal and, except for the Stingray, many months ago, they would be incorrect.

But, "The Skunk" has an ulterior motive: the rumors began to fly this week that I would be leaving the safe and familiar confines of my fourth grade domain and testing the pastures of second grade. My students have begun to pester me about it daily, and the current third graders have already been casting me looks shot-full of evil, so they have fully bought into it.

Not a day goes by without some e-mail or phone call from a concerned parent (of a current second or third grader) about this potential move. All want me to disconfirm this rumor or give some sort of validation to what they fear may be the truth. Of course, I have yet to satisfy these queries, preferring instead to remain "ignorant" of the entire situation. So, maybe my cryptic responses and artful dodging of inquiries does paint me as the skunk in this situation, but, it gives everyone something to do as we round out the year.