Not so 'Lucky' Buddy

This is Lucky Buddy.

He looks like a tiny kangaroo mouse, but we

looked him up on the internet and decided

that he is probably a deer mouse.

He is the smallest mouse I have ever seen.

We figure that it is probably a baby.

Anyways, I need to tell the story of how he

came to our classroom:

My cooperating teacher and I were talking before

school started when a small ball rolled into the room.

Or so we thought that is what we saw out of the

corner of our eyes, but then a teacher came in from

the hall and said "There's a mouse in your room!!!"

You can imagine our reaction:

Mrs. O grabbed a square bin and put tape on the sides where 

the handles were.  I kept track of the mouse and when she had

the 'trap' ready, she literally dove and caught the mouse!

It was hilarious!  The other teacher helped her to tape up

the top of the bin.  I wish I could have filmed the whole process.

It was fun to introduce the mouse to the students.

The next day, the students voted on a name.

The other teacher's class of 1st graders named him

Lucky because he was lucky not to be killed.

(as most of the other teachers...including me haha...

would have just killed him).  Our class voted on

a bunch of names and came up with Buddy.

Thus, he then became Lucky Buddy.

Well, I took this picture right before I left class yesterday.

Lucky Buddy slept in this position all day.

Occasionally we would tap the container...just to make

sure that he was still alive.

I went back to the classroom this morning and

my cooperating teacher told me the news....

"Lucky Buddy [was] no longer with us".

...haha, oh how we had big crocodile tears in the

first grade classroom!  Our fourth graders weren't

too upset, though I know they were

disappointed.  The funeral will be tomorrow.

Yes. A funeral...(ha).  He will be laid to rest

underneath the bushes outside the school.

So if you drive by tomorrow and see a few

teary eyed students...know that they will be okay,

because our friend Lucky Buddy is now

happy in mouse heaven.  So that was my first

day for full-time practicum!  I doubt I will ever

have an 'uneventful' first day haha.