herself heard. Finally, she stood up. “Mrs. Brisbane, I don’t think it’s fair because the winner is always the person who’s the loudest!”
Mrs. Brisbane bit her lip and looked thoughtful. “Do you think it would be more fair if people raised their hands?”
Heidi nodded. “Yes, and you could call on the first person to raise her hand.”
“So you agree that by raising our hands, this game would run in a fair and orderly way?” asked the teacher.
“Yes!” Heidi sounded very sure.
“Then maybe tomorrow when we go back to our regular rules, you can remember to raise your hand. Do you think you can, Heidi?”
Heidi’s face turned bright pink. “Yes,” she said. “I can.”
Brilliant! Mrs. Brisbane had showed Heidi why it’s important to raise your hand, she’d made it fun and everyone—including me—had helped. When class ended that day, I was convinced the she was the BEST-BEST-BEST teacher in the whole wide world.
I was also convinced that I’d be unsqueakably sad if she didn’t come back to Room 26.
WACKY: Crazy, silly, goofy, loony, nutty, wild, and if a Wednesday is wacky, it’s FUN-FUN-FUN!
Humphrey’s Dictionary of Wonderful Words
The Big Break
T hat was the Wackiest Wednesday ever, wasn’t it?” I happily squeaked to Og when we were alone.
“BOING-BOING!” he twanged.
“And weren’t you HAPPY-HAPPY-HAPPY to see Heidi raise her hand?” I asked him.
All I heard was a huge splash, but it sounded like a happy splash to me.
I was so excited about our funny day, I jumped on my wheel and spun as fast as I could. When I got tired of that, I spun the wheel the opposite direction for a while. I was tired and happy by the time Aldo came in to clean the room.
“Hola, amigos,”
he said when he arrived.
I’d figured out some more Spanish by then and I knew that
hola
meant “hello.”
“
Hola
right back at you,” I squeaked.
Aldo was cheerier than ever since his Spanish test was over. He hummed and sang and waltzed his broom across the floor. The nightly show Aldo put on was better than anything I’d seen on television at my friends’houses. When he finished, he offered me bits of lettuce while he ate his sandwich.
“Well,
amigo
, it’s time to say
adi´os
and move on.” He stood up to arrange his bucket, broom and rags on his cleaning cart. “I won’t see you for a while. I hope you enjoy your trip, wherever you are going.”
Aldo was saying strange things again! I was so stunned, he was halfway out the door before I could squeak, “But I’m not going anywhere!” It was too late for him to hear me. He was gone.
I didn’t think I was going anywhere, but Aldo seemed pretty sure.
“The contract!” I told Og. “If Mrs. Brisbane doesn’t sign the contract, I might be going away.”
Og didn’t respond. Maybe he was as worried as I was. After all, if I went away, he probably would, too.
As I lay in my sleeping hut that night, I thought about my future. Maybe I was going to live with the Brisbanes. Maybe I was going back to Pet-O-Rama. Maybe
real
space aliens were coming to take me away. None of those thoughts made me very happy.
At least Aldo had said “for a while.” I hoped he meant that someday I’d be coming back to Room 26, the place I like best in the world.
The next two days, my friends seemed sillier and more excited than usual while I was much more serious. I think Mrs. Brisbane was, too, especially when PrincipalMorales came in during recess to remind her about the contract. “Think it over next week, Sue,” he told her. “I know you’ll make the right decision.”
On Friday, just before my classmates returned from recess, I looked up to see Mrs. Wright standing in the doorway. Her silver whistle glittered.
“Mrs. Brisbane, I just want to say that Garth Tugwell is participating much more now. And his skills are improving.”
“I’m so glad,” Mrs. Brisbane answered.
“However, two of your students came out to recess without jackets
Mrs. Brisbane bit her lip and looked thoughtful. “Do you think it would be more fair if people raised their hands?”
Heidi nodded. “Yes, and you could call on the first person to raise her hand.”
“So you agree that by raising our hands, this game would run in a fair and orderly way?” asked the teacher.
“Yes!” Heidi sounded very sure.
“Then maybe tomorrow when we go back to our regular rules, you can remember to raise your hand. Do you think you can, Heidi?”
Heidi’s face turned bright pink. “Yes,” she said. “I can.”
Brilliant! Mrs. Brisbane had showed Heidi why it’s important to raise your hand, she’d made it fun and everyone—including me—had helped. When class ended that day, I was convinced the she was the BEST-BEST-BEST teacher in the whole wide world.
I was also convinced that I’d be unsqueakably sad if she didn’t come back to Room 26.
WACKY: Crazy, silly, goofy, loony, nutty, wild, and if a Wednesday is wacky, it’s FUN-FUN-FUN!
Humphrey’s Dictionary of Wonderful Words
The Big Break
T hat was the Wackiest Wednesday ever, wasn’t it?” I happily squeaked to Og when we were alone.
“BOING-BOING!” he twanged.
“And weren’t you HAPPY-HAPPY-HAPPY to see Heidi raise her hand?” I asked him.
All I heard was a huge splash, but it sounded like a happy splash to me.
I was so excited about our funny day, I jumped on my wheel and spun as fast as I could. When I got tired of that, I spun the wheel the opposite direction for a while. I was tired and happy by the time Aldo came in to clean the room.
“Hola, amigos,”
he said when he arrived.
I’d figured out some more Spanish by then and I knew that
hola
meant “hello.”
“
Hola
right back at you,” I squeaked.
Aldo was cheerier than ever since his Spanish test was over. He hummed and sang and waltzed his broom across the floor. The nightly show Aldo put on was better than anything I’d seen on television at my friends’houses. When he finished, he offered me bits of lettuce while he ate his sandwich.
“Well,
amigo
, it’s time to say
adi´os
and move on.” He stood up to arrange his bucket, broom and rags on his cleaning cart. “I won’t see you for a while. I hope you enjoy your trip, wherever you are going.”
Aldo was saying strange things again! I was so stunned, he was halfway out the door before I could squeak, “But I’m not going anywhere!” It was too late for him to hear me. He was gone.
I didn’t think I was going anywhere, but Aldo seemed pretty sure.
“The contract!” I told Og. “If Mrs. Brisbane doesn’t sign the contract, I might be going away.”
Og didn’t respond. Maybe he was as worried as I was. After all, if I went away, he probably would, too.
As I lay in my sleeping hut that night, I thought about my future. Maybe I was going to live with the Brisbanes. Maybe I was going back to Pet-O-Rama. Maybe
real
space aliens were coming to take me away. None of those thoughts made me very happy.
At least Aldo had said “for a while.” I hoped he meant that someday I’d be coming back to Room 26, the place I like best in the world.
The next two days, my friends seemed sillier and more excited than usual while I was much more serious. I think Mrs. Brisbane was, too, especially when PrincipalMorales came in during recess to remind her about the contract. “Think it over next week, Sue,” he told her. “I know you’ll make the right decision.”
On Friday, just before my classmates returned from recess, I looked up to see Mrs. Wright standing in the doorway. Her silver whistle glittered.
“Mrs. Brisbane, I just want to say that Garth Tugwell is participating much more now. And his skills are improving.”
“I’m so glad,” Mrs. Brisbane answered.
“However, two of your students came out to recess without jackets
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