Forest Friends
It was the first day of school. Mrs. Owl was explaining to the class the rules in her class and what the students could expect to learn this year.
Rabbit was wondering if he could grab a quick snack while mouse was already nibbling on a piece of cracker that he sneaked into the classroom. Otter and muskrat were close friends who were daydreaming about swimming in Little Cranberry Lake. Beaver was wondering if his parents would make him work on the new dam they had built this year. He had already worked so much this year he thought he should be allowed to play with the new friends he met at school. Squirrel's eyes were darting around the room looking for places she could stash her snacks where no one could find them. Behind the encyclopedias on the bookshelf? No one ever read them anyway.
Suddenly the bell rang. Recess! All of the students leapt from their desks and rushed for the door. Rabbit and Otter ran into each other and fell. Beaver stepped on them and muskrat tried to scurry around them. Mouse was afraid he would be hurt by the larger students and hid under his desk and squirrel just made it to the door when Mrs. Owl yelled, "CLASS! Back to your desks this instant." Mrs. Owl had a stern look on her face and the students knew they had better not try that again.
Mrs. Owl said, "Students I'm surprised at you! You know better than that . We must come up with an orderly manner of leaving the classroom. Does anyone have a suggestion? " Rabbit said "I'm the fastest so I should go first." Mouse said "I'm the smallest so I should get to go first." Beaver replied "Mouse if you get in my way I'll run over you."
Mrs. Owl used her common cents and realized that this could be a teaching moment. "Class , we are going to line up in alphabetical order. Now class I want you to quietly line up at the door in alphabetical order. " The students lined up but Mrs. Owl had to teach them the proper order. "Muskrat you are not the first." Mouse said , "You are after me Musky." Squirrel's tail drooped a little as he went to the end of the line.
"Now" said Mrs. Owl, " That is much better. Order is so important. Now you can go out and play."