Massachusetts!"
"Boston!" the children called.
"Correct." Mrs. Pidgeon stopped at Malcolm's desk and helped him put his valentines neatly away. He had made three red decorated hearts for the triplet babies at home. As always, his desk was a mess, but with Mrs. Pidgeon's help he tidied things up. He leaned down and picked up some scraps from the floor and dropped them in the basket.
"Good job, Malcolm. Class? Next state: Colorado!"
"Denver!" the second-graders shouted.
"That was easy!" Chelsea pointed out. "Give us a hard one!"
"Okay," said Mrs. Pidgeon. She held the wastebasket, and Keiko carefully swept her scraps into it from her desktop with the side of her hand. "Michigan!"
No one said anything. Finally, Felicia Ann remembered Michigan's capital. "Lansing!" she called, and everyone cheered.
"How come you didn't get it, Gooney Bird? I thought you remember
everything!
" Tyrone asked.
"I was thinking about something else," Gooney Bird explained. "My mind was else where. I'm beginning to get a really good idea. But it's only in teeny pieces so far. I have to put it together in my mind."
"Cool," Tyrone said.
"Speaking of cool, how about this one? Vermont!" Mrs. Pidgeon announced.
After a moment, the children responded, "Montpelier!"
"Hey, did I tell you? I'm going to Sugarbush, Vermont, for vacation!" Ben called. "And I'm taking snowboard lessons! And we're staying in a hotel andâ"
"You told us a thousand times," Malcolm muttered.
"A million times," Chelsea said.
Mrs. Pidgeon interrupted. "Next: Florida!"
"Orlando!" called Beanie.
"Nope, dummy! It's Tallahassee!" Barry corrected her.
"Yes, Tallahassee!" the other children agreed.
Beanie giggled. "I knew that! I just wanted to say Orlando because that's where my family's going on vacation! Disney World! We're flying to Orlando, and our hotel has a swimming pool, and I have a new bathing suit, andâ"
"Big deal!" called Barry."
I'm
going to Hawaii andâ"
"Poor William Henry Harrison never once went to Disney World," Gooney Bird announced in a loud, mournful voice. "Moment of silence."
The class fell silent in sympathy for President Harrison, and Mrs. Pidgeon returned the wastebasket to its spot near the door.
2.
"My lunch is somewhat dull today," commented Gooney Bird as she unwrapped a sandwich later that morning. "I wish I had a kumquat."
"Your lunch is never dull," Mrs. Pidgeon said, looking over from her desk. "What's in that sandwich?"
Most of the teachers ate their lunch in the teachers' lounge, but Mrs. Pidgeon usually sat with the children. She had confided in them, "Don't tell anyone I said this, but your conversation is more interesting. And I hate watching people eat microwaved soup."
Gooney Bird pried up one corner of the bread and examined her sandwich. "Spinach," she said. "Crumbled bacon. Gorgonzola cheese. And some chopped walnuts."
"There you go," said the teacher. "Most interesting lunch in town. And look here, everyone. I've brought a surprise for dessert." She set a small paper bag on her desk.
"What is it?" asked Chelsea.
"Candy hearts," Mrs. Pidgeon explained. "We've been busy making valentines for our families but we didn't have anything really special for ourselves."
"Do they have sayings on them?" Chelsea asked, leaning forward to try to peek into the bag.
"Yes. The standard valentine-heart sayings."
"How about if we each take one, and then we can see what they say, but we promise not to eat them till after we finish our lunch?" Malcolm suggested.
Mrs. Pidegon laughed. Sometimes she called Malcolm Mr. Eager.
"Okay," she told them. She passed the bag around and each child took a candy heart.
"Oops!" Gooney Bird said in a dismayed voice. "Mine says
Kiss Me
!"
"That's okay, Gooney Bird," Tricia reassured her. "Valentines always say romantic things. See mine? It says
Pucker Up.
"
"Yes, but remember my sandwich?" Gooney Bird asked. "Gorgonzola. It's really stinky. Kissing me would be gross. I'm trading
Kiss
"Boston!" the children called.
"Correct." Mrs. Pidgeon stopped at Malcolm's desk and helped him put his valentines neatly away. He had made three red decorated hearts for the triplet babies at home. As always, his desk was a mess, but with Mrs. Pidgeon's help he tidied things up. He leaned down and picked up some scraps from the floor and dropped them in the basket.
"Good job, Malcolm. Class? Next state: Colorado!"
"Denver!" the second-graders shouted.
"That was easy!" Chelsea pointed out. "Give us a hard one!"
"Okay," said Mrs. Pidgeon. She held the wastebasket, and Keiko carefully swept her scraps into it from her desktop with the side of her hand. "Michigan!"
No one said anything. Finally, Felicia Ann remembered Michigan's capital. "Lansing!" she called, and everyone cheered.
"How come you didn't get it, Gooney Bird? I thought you remember
everything!
" Tyrone asked.
"I was thinking about something else," Gooney Bird explained. "My mind was else where. I'm beginning to get a really good idea. But it's only in teeny pieces so far. I have to put it together in my mind."
"Cool," Tyrone said.
"Speaking of cool, how about this one? Vermont!" Mrs. Pidgeon announced.
After a moment, the children responded, "Montpelier!"
"Hey, did I tell you? I'm going to Sugarbush, Vermont, for vacation!" Ben called. "And I'm taking snowboard lessons! And we're staying in a hotel andâ"
"You told us a thousand times," Malcolm muttered.
"A million times," Chelsea said.
Mrs. Pidgeon interrupted. "Next: Florida!"
"Orlando!" called Beanie.
"Nope, dummy! It's Tallahassee!" Barry corrected her.
"Yes, Tallahassee!" the other children agreed.
Beanie giggled. "I knew that! I just wanted to say Orlando because that's where my family's going on vacation! Disney World! We're flying to Orlando, and our hotel has a swimming pool, and I have a new bathing suit, andâ"
"Big deal!" called Barry."
I'm
going to Hawaii andâ"
"Poor William Henry Harrison never once went to Disney World," Gooney Bird announced in a loud, mournful voice. "Moment of silence."
The class fell silent in sympathy for President Harrison, and Mrs. Pidgeon returned the wastebasket to its spot near the door.
2.
"My lunch is somewhat dull today," commented Gooney Bird as she unwrapped a sandwich later that morning. "I wish I had a kumquat."
"Your lunch is never dull," Mrs. Pidgeon said, looking over from her desk. "What's in that sandwich?"
Most of the teachers ate their lunch in the teachers' lounge, but Mrs. Pidgeon usually sat with the children. She had confided in them, "Don't tell anyone I said this, but your conversation is more interesting. And I hate watching people eat microwaved soup."
Gooney Bird pried up one corner of the bread and examined her sandwich. "Spinach," she said. "Crumbled bacon. Gorgonzola cheese. And some chopped walnuts."
"There you go," said the teacher. "Most interesting lunch in town. And look here, everyone. I've brought a surprise for dessert." She set a small paper bag on her desk.
"What is it?" asked Chelsea.
"Candy hearts," Mrs. Pidgeon explained. "We've been busy making valentines for our families but we didn't have anything really special for ourselves."
"Do they have sayings on them?" Chelsea asked, leaning forward to try to peek into the bag.
"Yes. The standard valentine-heart sayings."
"How about if we each take one, and then we can see what they say, but we promise not to eat them till after we finish our lunch?" Malcolm suggested.
Mrs. Pidegon laughed. Sometimes she called Malcolm Mr. Eager.
"Okay," she told them. She passed the bag around and each child took a candy heart.
"Oops!" Gooney Bird said in a dismayed voice. "Mine says
Kiss Me
!"
"That's okay, Gooney Bird," Tricia reassured her. "Valentines always say romantic things. See mine? It says
Pucker Up.
"
"Yes, but remember my sandwich?" Gooney Bird asked. "Gorgonzola. It's really stinky. Kissing me would be gross. I'm trading
Kiss
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