1.
"February vacation soon, students! Just ten more days!" Mr. Leroy, the school principal, pointed out, after he had made his usual announcements on the intercom. "I hope all of you have wonderful plans!"
The second-graders wiggled in their seats and began to murmur.
Vacation, vacation, vacation.
Even though they loved school, vacations were always exciting. "I'm going toâ" Ben began.
"My family'sâ" Barry Tuckerman whispered loudly.
But Mrs. Pidgeon put her finger to her mouth and reminded them that the announcements weren't finished. "Shhh," she said.
"And we mustn't forget," Mr. Leroy continued, "that this month we are celebrating the birthdays of two of our most important presidents. Let's finish up this morning's announcements by singing to them, shall we?"
Mr. Leroy started off. "Happy birthday to you." So she sang. In every classroom in the Water tower Elementary School, the students joined in. Some of them sang, "Dear Abe," some sang, "Dear George," and some tried to fit in "Dear Abraham-and-George."
Gooney Bird Greene, at her desk in Mrs. Pidgeon's classroom, sang loudly, "Dear George-Abraham-William-Henry-and-Ronald." She was still singing the list of names after the others had finished the last "Happy birthday to you." So she sang her own final line all by herself. The other children all stared at her.
But Gooney Bird didn't mind. "I am never ever embarrassed," she had once said. And that seemed to be true. Now, after she concluded, "Happy birthday to you," she folded her hands on her desk, looked up toward the front of the room, and cheerfully waited for the school day to begin.
"Goodness," Mrs. Pidgeon said. "Who were all of those people, Gooney Bird?"
"Presidents with February birthdays," Gooney Bird explained. "I don't think it's fair that George Washington and Abraham Lincoln get all the attention."
"But they were important guys!" Barry Tuckerman pointed out.
"All presidents are important," Gooney Bird said.
"I don't even know who those other ones are," Chelsea said.
"Well, let's find out," Mrs. Pidgeon said. She began writing on the board. "George. Abraham. And who were the others, Gooney Bird?"
"William-Henry-Ronald."
Mrs. Pidgeon wrote those names on the board. "All right, class. Who was George?"
"Washington!" the children called, and Mrs. Pidgeon wrote "Washington" on the board after "George."
"Abraham?" she asked, and the children all said, "Lincoln!" So she wrote that.
"William?" she asked, but the room was silent. "Well, it could be Bill Clinton, I suppose," she said. "But President Taft was also named William, andâoh, dear. There might be
lots
of Williams..."
At her desk, Gooney Bird sighed loudly.
"Henry? Anyone know Henry?" Mrs. Pidgeon left "William" blank and held her chalk beside Henry's name. Gooney Bird sighed again.
She left "Henry" blank. "Ronald?" Mrs. Pidgeon said. "Oh, I know that one, for sure!" She wrote "Reagan" after "Ronald." "I remember when he was president. It wasn't that long ago. But William and Henry? Help me out here, Gooney Bird."
"Actually," Gooney Bird explained, "it wasn't
William, comma, Henry, comma, Ronald.
It was
William Henry, comma,
and
Ronald.
Ronald Reagan, just like you said. And William Henry Harrison.
"I kind of like when people have two first names, don't you?" asked Gooney Bird. "It makes them somewhat special, don't you think?"
Felicia Ann, at her desk, nodded her head. The other children frowned a bit.
"William Henry Harrison was born in February," Gooney Bird went on. "He was president of the United States, but only for one month."
"How come? Everybody gets to be president for four years! We learned that!" Malcolm was partway out of his desk. "Four years! Right, Mrs. Pidgeon? Didn't we learn that? Four years?"
The teacher gently placed her calm-down hand on Malcolm's shoulder. "Gooney Bird?" she said. "Want to explain?"
"He died. Moment of silence, please."
"Moment of silence?" Mrs. Pidgeon repeated with a
"February vacation soon, students! Just ten more days!" Mr. Leroy, the school principal, pointed out, after he had made his usual announcements on the intercom. "I hope all of you have wonderful plans!"
The second-graders wiggled in their seats and began to murmur.
Vacation, vacation, vacation.
Even though they loved school, vacations were always exciting. "I'm going toâ" Ben began.
"My family'sâ" Barry Tuckerman whispered loudly.
But Mrs. Pidgeon put her finger to her mouth and reminded them that the announcements weren't finished. "Shhh," she said.
"And we mustn't forget," Mr. Leroy continued, "that this month we are celebrating the birthdays of two of our most important presidents. Let's finish up this morning's announcements by singing to them, shall we?"
Mr. Leroy started off. "Happy birthday to you." So she sang. In every classroom in the Water tower Elementary School, the students joined in. Some of them sang, "Dear Abe," some sang, "Dear George," and some tried to fit in "Dear Abraham-and-George."
Gooney Bird Greene, at her desk in Mrs. Pidgeon's classroom, sang loudly, "Dear George-Abraham-William-Henry-and-Ronald." She was still singing the list of names after the others had finished the last "Happy birthday to you." So she sang her own final line all by herself. The other children all stared at her.
But Gooney Bird didn't mind. "I am never ever embarrassed," she had once said. And that seemed to be true. Now, after she concluded, "Happy birthday to you," she folded her hands on her desk, looked up toward the front of the room, and cheerfully waited for the school day to begin.
"Goodness," Mrs. Pidgeon said. "Who were all of those people, Gooney Bird?"
"Presidents with February birthdays," Gooney Bird explained. "I don't think it's fair that George Washington and Abraham Lincoln get all the attention."
"But they were important guys!" Barry Tuckerman pointed out.
"All presidents are important," Gooney Bird said.
"I don't even know who those other ones are," Chelsea said.
"Well, let's find out," Mrs. Pidgeon said. She began writing on the board. "George. Abraham. And who were the others, Gooney Bird?"
"William-Henry-Ronald."
Mrs. Pidgeon wrote those names on the board. "All right, class. Who was George?"
"Washington!" the children called, and Mrs. Pidgeon wrote "Washington" on the board after "George."
"Abraham?" she asked, and the children all said, "Lincoln!" So she wrote that.
"William?" she asked, but the room was silent. "Well, it could be Bill Clinton, I suppose," she said. "But President Taft was also named William, andâoh, dear. There might be
lots
of Williams..."
At her desk, Gooney Bird sighed loudly.
"Henry? Anyone know Henry?" Mrs. Pidgeon left "William" blank and held her chalk beside Henry's name. Gooney Bird sighed again.
She left "Henry" blank. "Ronald?" Mrs. Pidgeon said. "Oh, I know that one, for sure!" She wrote "Reagan" after "Ronald." "I remember when he was president. It wasn't that long ago. But William and Henry? Help me out here, Gooney Bird."
"Actually," Gooney Bird explained, "it wasn't
William, comma, Henry, comma, Ronald.
It was
William Henry, comma,
and
Ronald.
Ronald Reagan, just like you said. And William Henry Harrison.
"I kind of like when people have two first names, don't you?" asked Gooney Bird. "It makes them somewhat special, don't you think?"
Felicia Ann, at her desk, nodded her head. The other children frowned a bit.
"William Henry Harrison was born in February," Gooney Bird went on. "He was president of the United States, but only for one month."
"How come? Everybody gets to be president for four years! We learned that!" Malcolm was partway out of his desk. "Four years! Right, Mrs. Pidgeon? Didn't we learn that? Four years?"
The teacher gently placed her calm-down hand on Malcolm's shoulder. "Gooney Bird?" she said. "Want to explain?"
"He died. Moment of silence, please."
"Moment of silence?" Mrs. Pidgeon repeated with a
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