class pet adventures

Meet Turtle

Last weekend I picked up a turtle for my class pet.  Turtle is his name and he's five years old.  My students absolutely love him.  He's made his home on the counter in our room and is fed by a student each day.  Every morning I walk into my room, drop my bag at my desk, and head over to Turtle tell him, "Good Morning!"  This morning, however, I took my walk across the room to greet him and looked into his tank and . . . he was nowhere to be found!  The lid was just as I'd left it and there wasn't a single sign of where he might be.

Once I'd searched my classroom and I ran to my neighbors to search theirs for this little reptile.  When we were all unsuccessful finding Turtle, I came to the conclusion that he'd been kidnapped turtlenapped.  After an hour of looking for the little guy I was sure he was a goner.  When he hadn't showed up by lunch time, I'd lost my hopes for sure.  How do I tell my class? I thought. 

We began our Writing Block by reading Miss Nelson is Missing and talked about all the places her students thought she was and how worried they were.  Then I told them that someone was missing in our classroom, too.  And it was Turtle.  Some students reacted in disbelief, thinking I was tricking them, while others were trying to tell me all the places he might be hiding.  Once they'd come to terms with Turtle's MIA status, they began to write on the prompt 'Our Turtle Is Missing.'   

Just as we went to line up at the door for recess, I hear cries from my neighbor Kelli.  Screaming my name and pointing to the ground, I ran towards her in panic, thinking there was an emergency in her room.  I looked, and

there

he

was.

Scurrying across her floor in the direction of my classroom.  I scooped him up and carried him back to my cheering students.

Beginning my day on the verge of tears because of a turtle was not how I want to start any day ever again, so I will make sure he is more securely tucked-in for the nights.  And, I think Turtle has rightfully earned himself a last name: Houdini.