April Fooled on April Fool's Day

I was reminded this morning of one of the great April Fool's day episodes in my life - the time I was completely taken in by 7th graders.

When I was Site Professor in the University of Colorado's teacher education program, I oversaw the classroom experiences of a dozen or so Teacher Candidates in a local middle school.

During my time there, I established a relationship with one of the Special Ed teachers and took her students for an hour or so every Thursday morning. They were described as 'Reluctant Learners'.

My TCs would come and watch and we would discuss what happened during the lunchtime seminar.

Each year, the 7th graders and I interacted with my usual array of community-focused science activities, including making pocket museums and taking owl pellets apart.

Owl pellets, as you know, if bought commercially, come individually wrapped in silver paper. I would explain to my students that the pellets were wrapped and baked and, thus, made germ-free.

Well, one year the activity took place on April Fool's Day.

As I handed out the owl pellets, I explained why the pellets were wrapped in silver paper.

Standing in front of the kids, I asked them to unwrap their pellet, put them in a small paper cup,  and start taking them apart.

Then, something awful happened!

pene

One of the kids put his owl pellet in his mouth and, licking his lips,  started chewing it
"Oh, my God," I shouted. "What are you doing?"

"They're really tasty, Mr. Paull," he said. As I walked towards him, more kids pushed their owl pellets in the mouths, shouting out, "THEY'RE GREAT!!"

I couldn't believe my eyes. There goes my job, I thought. Kids eating and swallowing owl pellets?

I turned to the teacher. Her hands were covering her face...........then, I realized, she was laughing!

"YOU'RE LAUGHING? AND YOU'RE KIDS ARE EATING OWL PELLETS? C'MON!!"

Then, when she put down her hands, the classroom burst into loud shrieks of giggles. With tears streaming down her face, she told me what was happening.

The night before, she had made sweets look like owl pellets, wrapped them up in silver paper, and told the kids before I came in the room that I was going to be the victim of the GREATEST April Fool's Day!!

I was, sure as pellets are pellets, I was completely, utterly APRIL FOOLED!!