Sometimes You Gotta Gobble

Spring heralds the coming of many things: Lovely warm breezes, budding flowers, longer days, rosy sunburned cheeks, flirtations, and, in my classroom, the animal noises start up again.

This year, the popular sounds are unidentified croaking frog noises ("grrruuuup"), bird whistles (this one will never go out of style), and "quack." (Periods of uncontrollable giggles, while not technically animal sounds, are popular as well.)

This morning: I am at my wit's end. One boy makes the frog noise. "Jonathan!" I hollar. "Hallway!"

He saunters outside and I accompany him, foot holding the door, one eye on the classroom. "Ok. You need to make animal noises? Now's your chance. Right now you have my permission to make whatever noises you want and get it out of your system."

He is silent.

"What, cat got your tongue? Go for it: quack, moo, bark, whatever."

Silence. After a hesitation, he lets out a small smirk, and a quick hiccuped "Gobble."

My class cracks up.

"Now can we please leave the noises in the hallway?"

"Yes, Ma'am."