for you to hear

I am the Hamster Hunter

All was well and good in fifth grade. Students were working on their math test and I was catching up on some long over due grading. I glance up to see one of my students getting out of his seat. I clear my throat to get his attention...to no avail. He is walking towards the back of the room. "Perhaps he needs to sharpen his pencil," I rationalized. Nope. He walks right past the pencil sharpener and kneels down to look under a book shelf. My brow furrows in suspition and curiosity. I have seen kids do some pretty odd things, especially when they should be working on their math, but this went beyond odd.

I cross the room to stand beside him. He doesn't even look up. "What are you doing out of your seat?"

"I thought I should catch the hamster for you before he gets lost."

I spin on my heel to check the cages. One. Two. Both of the gerbils are accounted for.

"There is not a hamster under that thing, now get up and finish your math test."

"I saw it."

Pointing in the direction of the cages I state, "Both gerbils are there."

"Well, I don't think that its yours 'cause you have the lids on their cages but Mrs. K. doesn't and hers get out all the time."

At this point I remember the escaped hamster story. I also remember the sweet hand drawn missing posters that had been put up by Mrs. K's first graders. I also remembered the office staff finding a very dead and very smelly hamster behind the lockers. It was a mess.

"No, they found the first graders' hamster, go finish your test."

"Well, she must have gotten out again."

"I don't think so"

Then from multiple simultaneous voices I hear, "I see it!"

I look down just in time to see a hamster retreat back underneath the shelf. Instantly everyone is up and "helping." I send them all back to their desks and start moving bookshelves, reading pillows, chairs, it took me about two minutes to get my hands on her.

She was much easier to catch than my gerbils are because she is so much bigger. I was holding on to her while my reluctant-test-taker was opening up the rodent ball so that she could be easily transported back to her home when the hamster screamed. Then I screamed. I kid you not, I was so shocked it was everything that I could do to keep from dropping it. "I didn't know hamsters did that! Did you?" I asked.

My only answer was a crowd of wide eyes and agape mouths.
Evidently not.
Once the rodent was safely in her ball, we all started to laugh.

"Miss Aurand, you jumped so high when it screamed."
"I thought you were going to throw it away."
"Your eyes got so big."
"What did you do to make it do that?"
"You screamed so loud, Mr. O. is going to come in here."
"That was the funniest thing ever!"
"I am so glad this happened to me."
"Miss Aurand, you were so brave to not let go, it could have chomped your hand like the gerbil did, and make you bleed."

We laughed hardest at the bravery comment. But let me tell you that none of them were volunteering to take the thing home. It is pretty funny how nicknames begin. They started calling me the Hamster Hunter. It makes me sound savage or just cruel. Poor defenseless hamsters. But let me tell you...if you had heard it scream, you might have agreed with this last comment.

"I am just glad you were here to save us!"

Me too, Austin, me too.

(This is true to the best of my knowledge and is not a part of any April Fools prank)

posted by Trisha @ 4:01 PM