Ethel the Owl

It was the first week of my first year of teaching and in order to nip tattling in the bud, I had placed a owl beanie baby on top of the white board named Ethel. Whenever a child had a tattle, they whispered it to Ethel and she flew down to my desk after school every night and told me what had happened that day.

They were so into it.

There was also a bathroom in this classroom and, the first few months, I used this bathroom, as well as the students, so I wasn't leaving them completely alone in the classroom.

So, it was about 30 minutes before the end of the school day (maybe the 4th or 5th day of school) and I really had to use the bathroom so I told them that I was going in here to the bathroom and to keep working because Ethel was watching. (Scary, huh?) The second I start using the bathroom (TMI?) I hear the office calling to my classroom over the loudspeaker and so I hurry and finish up and bust open the bathroom door to see my entire class dead silent, staring at the ceiling where the speaker was located. One sweet friend looks over to me, terrified, and says, "Ethel says that Brooke needs to go to the office."

It took everything in me not to start busting out laughing but I somehow held it together enough to say, "Ok Brooke, you heard Ethel, grab your backpack and head to the office."

It was silent the rest of the day.

Teaching is a lot like acting,
Laura